PC Andrew Harper killers eligible for early release after prison scheme review

PC Andrew Harper, who was 28 when he was killed, and his wife Lissie (Picture: PA) Two men who were passengers in the car when PC Andrew Harper was killed in 2019 will be released early from prison. Uproar over the potential for Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole’s early release led to Prime Minister Andy Burnham pausing the scheme – which aimed to relieve extreme pressure on the prison system – last month. But following a review, the two men will be freed after all – though around 1,000 rapists, child sex offenders and criminals linked to grooming gangs will now remain in prison. Henry Long, who was driving the car as PC Harper was dragged for more than a mile to his death, was not eligible for early release. PC Harper’s mother Debbie told Newsnight: ‘It feels like we’re letting Andrew down again. ‘We’ve been through the justice system, we thought we’d done as best we could, and now we’re standing up to fight again.’ Make sense of the mad world of British politics Get analysis of the latest stories – including Andy Burnham's rise to Number 10 – direct to your inbox from Metro’s Senior Politics Reporter Craig Munro. Sign up here. She added that she feels ‘really let down’ for her son’s sake and her own. Justice Secretary Alex Norris said he spoke to Debbie and PC Harper’s widow Lissie last night, and apologised to both. New Justice Secretary Alex Norris apologised to PC Harper’s mum and widow (Picture: Zeynep Demir/Anadolu via Getty Images) He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘At the moment, we’d run out of prison places in October or November. We can’t allow that to happen. ‘So we’re making significant changes to make sure that long-term future of having proper prison capacity in this country, but I appreciate, as they say, that they shouldn’t be the ones who as a result are impacted.’ Writing in the Telegraph, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he ‘wanted to go even further’ in keeping different categories of prisoners locked up. He said: ‘I have pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do. ‘I know I can look people in the eye and say to them there is nothing more I could have asked for without risking the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing within months.’ What happened to PC Andrew Harper? Long, Bowers and Cole were found not guilty of PC Harper’s murder but convicted of manslaughter in 2020, with Long sentenced to 16 years in prison and the other two given 13 years each. All three were teenagers when PC Harper – who had married Lissie only one month before – responded to reports of an attempted quad bike theft. As the group tried to make their getaway, the 28-year-old police officer’s ankles became entangled in a crane strap attached to the boot of Long’s Seat Toledo. Henry Long, left, will remain in prison while Jessie Cole, centre, and Albert Bowers, right, will be released (Picture: PA) Long then drove off at ‘breakneck’ speed along country lanes, with PC Harper ‘swung side-to-side like a pendulum in an effort to dislodge him’ according to the trial. Each of the three denied knowing the officer was caught on the back of the vehicle, calling it a ‘freak event’ – but the prosecution said they would have been aware ‘without a shadow of a doubt’ that PC Harper, who was more than 6ft tall and weighed 14 stone, was being dragged to his death. In sentencing, Judge Mr Justice Edis took the unusual step of acknowledging the jury’s decision had ’caused some controversy’. The criminals were seen hugging each other and grinning broadly outside court after being cleared of murder. Speaking outside the court, Lissie Harper said she was ‘immensely disappointed’ with the verdict. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

A memorial to PC Andrew Harper near Reading, Berkshire.The mother of a police officer killed in the line of duty has said “we are devastated” after it was confirmed two of the men convicted of his manslaughter will still be released early from prison.Debbie Adlam spoke out after Andy Burnham announced that rapists, serious child sex offenders and those convicted of grooming offences will not be let out early following an angry backlash.However, killers will still serve shorter shorter sentences amid fears prisons could run out of places.That means two of the three men convicted over the death of PC Andrew Harper in 2019 will still be eligible for early release.PC Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.The driver of the vehicle which caused his death, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence, and will not be eligible for early release.But Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were passengers in the car and handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2020, could be let out early.On the BBC’s Newsnight on Monday, Debbie Adlam said: “We are devastated with Andrew’s loss for every day of our lives now. We’re devastated.“Now it’s just another thing to be devastated [by] on top, so we’ll just have to process it and do our best.”She said justice secretary Alex Norris had phoned to let her know that two of those convicted over her son’s death would still be released early.“He could definitely hear the way I felt,” she said. “I was getting more angry as we went along because I just felt I had more and more questions.”The early release scheme will now begin in October rather than September after Burnham announced it was being reviewed.He said he “wanted to go even further”, but couldn’t without the prison system collapsing.The PM said: “I fully understand the anger, anxiety and distress that’s been caused. I’ve heard that loud and clear.“That’s why we’re making significant changes: offenders who have been sentenced for rape, serious child sex offences and other grooming offences will be excluded from the changes.“I want to be honest – I wanted to go even further as I know there will still be concerns about other offenders having their sentence shortened.“But it’s not possible without the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing, which would put public safety at much greater risk.”He said “tougher community measures” will be introduced for those released early.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.