CLEVELAND Police have declined to follow Scotland Yard's lead and guarantee to reopen cases affected by changes to the double jeopardy rule.

It could mean North-East self-confessed killer Billy Dunlop might not face retrial over the murder of pizza delivery girl Julie Hogg.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens has announced that he will use the proposed change in the double jeopardy law - which rules no one can be tried twice for the same crime - to press for fresh charges in the murder cases of Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor.

But yesterday, a spokeswoman for Cleveland Police refused to guarantee that the changes would lead to the Julie Hogg murder case being reopened.

The body of mother-of-one Julie was found behind the bath panel of her Billingham home in 1989.

Dunlop was charged with her murder but was acquitted twice.

He later confessed to the crime but the double jeopardy law meant he could not be retried.

Since Dunlop's confession, Julie's parents, Ann and Charlie Ming, have tirelessly campaigned for a change in the law.

Yesterday, Mrs Ming called on Cleveland Police to follow the Metropolitan Police's lead and look again at Dunlop's case. She said: "I would hope they would follow what is happening in London because we have the most compelling case in the country - a self-confessed killer who has not been convicted because of an ancient law.

"Cleveland Police will soon have the power to retry the man who said he killed our daughter and they must do it." But a spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said the force was still waiting to see the full details of the Home Office recommendations before making a decision.

She said: "We are waiting for the full details of the White Paper before any decisions are made on any cases. At this stage we can not be as definite as the Met on this issue."