THE Government is on the verge of changing the law to make it possible for someone to be tried twice for the same offence, a senior Home Office advisor has revealed.

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate, a former senior policeman from the region, told The Northern Echo a major shake-up of the double jeopardy law was in prospect before the next General Election.

Such a move, if imposed retrospectively, would be a victory for North-East mother Ann Ming, whose daughter Julie Hogg was murdered in 1989.

Labourer Billy Dunlop was acquitted of the killing but later confessed to the crime. He is currently serving a six-year sentence for lying on oath about the Teesside woman's death.

The Home Secretary has already hinted that the rule may be flawed by ordering the Law Commission to investigate a change to the law.

Lord Mackenzie's belief that the issue may be part of the forthcoming Queen's Speech, which sets out the Government's agenda for the next session of parliament, is the clearest indication yet of the Home Secretary's intentions.

He said: "Jack Straw has taken this issue on board. He clearly felt there might be good grounds for a change in the law.

"I am fairly confident that the law will be changed in serious cases, perhaps with the say so of the Attorney General."

The Northern Echo has campaigned alongside Mrs Ming and her husband, Charlie, for the Government to recognise the serious miscarriages of justice arising from double jeopardy.

She believes Dunlop opted for an early confession to beat a murder conviction in the event of a Government review of the double jeopardy law.

"We have said to Jack Straw that he should make a precedent and turn our case into a test case," she said.

"The only reason Dunlop confessed was because he knew about the double jeopardy law and we would want any change in the law to be retrospective.

"We would love it to be included in the Queen's Speech but I will believe it when it comes up."

The campaign for reform of double jeopardy law has been supported by Lord MacPherson's inquiry into the Metropolitan Police's handling of the Stephen Lawrence murder. A Home Affairs Select Committee also made recommendations that the law be reviewed.

Lord Mackenzie has urged Jack Straw to make the issue a priority.

He said: "With advances in forensic science and DNA testing you can now say with more certainty whether someone is guilty or not.

"It is important for the victims to have a sense that justice is being done. If they do not, it is more likely that people will be dissatisfied, and in the end it leads to vigilantes."

But he urged that any alterations to the mechanism of the law should be exercised with caution.

"What we don't want is police to have several bites at the cherry."

A Home Office spokesman confirmed double jeopardy was still being examined in the light of the recommendations made by the Home Affairs Select Committee and the MacPherson report.

"While we have certainly been examining the issues surrounding double jeopardy as part of our review, we cannot speculate on the Queen's Speech," he said

Read more about the campaign here.