Two men who were passengers in the car when PC Andrew Harper was killed in 2019 will be released early from prison. Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both convicted of manslaughter, are set to be freed under a scheme aimed at relieving prison overcrowding.
Release sparks political backlash
The potential early release of Bowers and Cole caused uproar, leading Prime Minister Andy Burnham to pause the scheme last month. Following a review, the two men will be freed, but around 1,000 rapists, child sex offenders, and criminals linked to grooming gangs will remain incarcerated.
Henry Long, the driver of the car that dragged PC Harper to his death, was not eligible for early release. PC Harper's mother, Debbie, expressed her anguish, telling 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.'
Justice Secretary apologises
Justice Secretary Alex Norris apologised to Debbie and PC Harper's widow, Lissie, after speaking with them. 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.'
In a Telegraph article, Prime Minister Burnham defended the decision, stating he had 'pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do' and that there was 'nothing more I could have asked for without risking the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing within months.'
Details of the case
Long, Bowers, and Cole were found not guilty of PC Harper's murder but convicted of manslaughter in 2020. Long received a 16-year sentence, while Bowers and Cole were each given 13 years. All three were teenagers at the time of the incident.
PC Harper, who had married Lissie just a month before, responded to reports of an attempted quad bike theft. As the group tried to flee, the 28-year-old officer's ankles became entangled in a crane strap attached to the boot of Long's Seat Toledo. Long drove off at high speed, with PC Harper being dragged for more than a mile.
During the trial, the defendants denied knowing the officer was caught on the back of the vehicle, calling it a 'freak event'. However, the prosecution argued they would have been aware 'without a shadow of a doubt' that PC Harper was being dragged to his death. The judge, Mr Justice Edis, acknowledged the jury's decision had 'caused some controversy'.
After being cleared of murder, the three were seen hugging and grinning outside court. Lissie Harper said she was 'immensely disappointed' with the verdict.
