PC Harper killers may be eligible for early release

The mother of police officer Andrew Harper has said it feels like an "insult" that two of her son's killers may be eligible for early release from prison.

PC Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.

He died after getting caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a country road as three teenage suspects fled the scene of the burglary.

Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were passengers in the car and both 17 at the time, were handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2020.

Both men might be eligible to be released from prison halfway through their sentences, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed.

Under the new Sentencing Act, due to come into force in September, some 6,000 criminals are set to be released under the early prison release scheme.

The government has so far failed to rule out whether killers, rapists and paedophiles will be exempt from the scheme.

The driver of the vehicle which caused PC Harper's death, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence, and will not be eligible for the scheme.

Speaking to The Telegraph, PC Harper's mother Debbie Adlam said she had received a letter from the MoJ confirming their sentences might be reduced.

She said: "It makes me feel sick. Andrew's life doesn't get to come back. It feels like a slap in the face and an insult."

She added that "people are getting a free pass for crime" in the UK.

An MoJ spokesperson said: "This was a horrific crime, and our deepest sympathies are with PC Andrew Harper's family and friends.

"In 2024, the country was facing a prison crisis and a total breakdown of law and order, with judges ordered to stop jailing dangerous criminals.

"This government is committed to public safety: we are building prison places at the fastest rate since the Victorian era, and taking the difficult decisions needed to lock up the most dangerous offenders."

The government has insisted the Act will not see early releases for offenders deemed "the most dangerous", including those on extended determinate or life sentences.

The Police Federation of England & Wales responded to The Telegraph story on X, calling the early release policy "disgusting".

Deputy national chairman Brian Booth said: "Police officers from across the country stood side by side to honour Andrew Harper at his funeral.

"They and every serving officer will be utterly sickened at the prospect of Bowers and Cole being back on the streets so soon."

PC Harper, from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, responded to the quad bike call just hours after he had been due to clock off and begin his honeymoon with wife Lissie Harper.

After her husband's death, she campaigned for legal changes to see harsher sentences for the manslaughter of emergency workers on duty.

Harper's Law was among the new measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act.

The move extends mandatory life sentences to anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty including police, prison officers, firefighters and paramedics.

It is not retrospective, meaning PC Harper's killers cannot have their sentences extended.

New Justice Secretary Alex Norris has been urged to reconsider the early release scheme after being appointed by Andy Burnham on Monday.

Asked about reports that the prime minister could be working on exempting rapists and child groomers from the scheme, his spokesman said: "The government's fully focused on keeping the public safe.

"We've got no option but to take decisive action to fix the crisis in our prisons. I'm not going to get into speculation over possible policy changes.

"Of course, the prime minister will take decisions on all manner of policy areas in the future, including how we get justice for victims."

Aileen O'Connor, chair of Thames Valley Police Federation, said: "The killers of PC Andrew Harper should be kept where they belong... behind bars.

"Police across Thames Valley, and indeed the country, will be disgusted at the prospect of these smirking lowlifes being free to roam the streets.

"These killers have never shown any remorse for their horrific and deadly actions that night.

"Andrew's wife Lissie and his whole family are serving a life sentence. The least we can expect is that his killers serve their whole sentence, however poor it already is."

She added that the organisation would be communicating with the police minister, the home secretary and the prime minister.

"We will not stop. Andrew deserves nothing less," O'Connor said.

"What message does this send about the worth of a life of a police officer? The government and the parole board must reconsider any plans to release Andrew's killers early. And they must do it now. No ifs. No buts."

Cabinet minister Heidi Alexander said the early release scheme was necessary because the justice system had been on the brink of collapse when Labour came to power.

She told BBC Breakfast: "If we ran out of prison spaces, courts couldn't sentence and the police wouldn't have been able to arrest.

"No responsible government would have allowed us to get into that situation."

Meanwhile, new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has insisted there was "no ill intent" behind apparent comments about the early release scheme, which were caught on camera.

He can be heard saying to Norris that "he wants to let them all out" - appearing to reference the government's plans for the early release of prisoners.