A TELEVISION programme about a campaigning mother's fight to overturn the 800-year-old double jeopardy law, has landed a major award.

Tyne Tees Television's Justice for Julie show won the best factual category in the Royal Television Society's regional awards.

It focused on the tireless work of Ann Ming, of Norton, Teesside, who found daughter Julie Hogg's mutilated body under the bath of her Billingham home in 1989.

Labourer Billy Dunlop was arrested and charged with murder but was acquitted after a jury twice failed to reach a verdict.

He later confessed to the killing while in jail for an unrelated offence, but could not be punished because of the double jeopardy law.

Instead, he was found guilty of perjury for lying in the original trial.

However, Mrs Ming's determined efforts, backed by The Northern Echo, eventually led to the scrapping of the law.

Mrs Ming said of the award: "I'm really pleased."

BBC Look North also took honours, at the ceremony, at the Federation Brewery, Gateshead.

Broadcast journalist Chris Stewart won best TV journalist, while producers Lucy Jolly and Mark Scrimshaw won Best Feature within a Daily Magazine Programme for their Golden Jubilee coverage last year.