The fight of a lifetime

Sheridan Smith stands up to the justice system as Ann Ming in a gut-wrenching real-life drama

- WORDS: LAURA CARRENO-MÜLLER

Her name was once linked to one of Britain's most haunting murder cases. Now, Julie Hogg's tragic story comes to the small screen in I Fought The Law, a four-part drama series written by Grantchester's Jamie Crichton and based on For The Love Of Julie - a memoir written by Julie's mother, Ann Ming.

Sheridan Smith portrays Ann, and the series charts her extraordinary fight for justice. "It's what Ann came up against," Sheridan, 44, says. "It was one thing after another. It was relentless. I did nine weeks shooting it and I was a mess. I don't know the strength it took for Ann to keep fighting. I'm absolutely in awe of her."

Julie was 22 years old when she vanished from her Billingham home in November 1989, leaving behind her young son Kevin. Her mother, Ann, immediately knew something was wrong. "I was convinced something had happened to my daughter from day one," says Ann, now 79.

But police believed otherwise. "They thought she could have gone to London to start a new life," Ann says. "It really was frustrating."

Three months later, Ann's maternal instincts were tragically vindicated. She discovered Julie's body herself, hidden under the bath at Julie's home. "It gave me strength because I'd been proven right," Ann now says.