The killers of PC Andrew Harper will not be freed under controversial early release arrangements after the Government changed the rules to exclude people convicted of unlawful killing.
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were each sentenced to 13 years in prison for the manslaughter of the Thames Valley Police officer, will no longer be eligible for release under the scheme.
The change follows pressure from PC Harper’s family, colleagues and senior police figures over the prospect of those responsible for killing a police officer benefiting from measures designed to ease pressure on prisons.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:
“Nobody would want a position to arise where those guilty of killing a police officer are let out early from prison.”
Under the revised arrangements, offenders convicted of unlawful killing, including specified manslaughter offences, will be excluded from the early release provisions.
Thames Valley Police welcomes decision
Thames Valley Police welcomed confirmation that Cole and Bowers would not be released under the proposed arrangements.
The force said in a statement:
“We welcome the confirmation from the Prime Minister that the two men convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper will not be released under the early release arrangements that had previously been proposed.”
PC Harper, 28, was killed while responding to reports of a quad bike theft in Berkshire in August 2019.
He was dragged behind a vehicle after becoming caught in a tow rope as the offenders fled the scene.
Cole and Bowers were subsequently convicted of manslaughter following a trial in 2020 and sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment.
The case prompted PC Harper’s widow, Lissie Harper, to campaign for tougher sentences for people responsible for killing emergency workers.
Her campaign resulted in Harper’s Law, which introduced mandatory life sentences for people convicted of the manslaughter of an emergency worker in specified circumstances while the worker is acting in the course of their duties.
The latest Government change means Cole and Bowers will remain subject to the terms of their original sentences rather than benefiting from the new early release arrangements.
