The Government has apologised to the family of Pc Andrew Harper as two of his killers remain eligible for early release under new sentencing changes.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris acknowledged that the decision had “created harm” but said the alternative was seeing prisons cease to function.
Early release scheme details
Some 5,000 people are expected to be released early under the changes, down from 6,000 after ministers exempted rapists and child sex offenders from the scheme aimed at tackling overcrowding in jails.
However, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of manslaughter in 2020, remain eligible for early release despite an outcry from the officer’s family that prompted a review of the plans.
Background of the case
The 28-year-old police officer sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019. He died after being dragged down a country road, caught in a strap attached to a car driven by fleeing burglary suspects.
The driver, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and would not have been eligible for the scheme, but Cole and Bowers, sentenced to 13 years, are now eligible for release halfway through their sentences.
Family reaction and government response
Pc Harper’s wife, Lissie Harper, called the prospect of early release “an affront to justice” and “an utter betrayal”. His mother, Debbie Adlam, said the family was “bitterly disappointed”, telling the BBC: “Andrew deserves better than this, and so do we.”
Mr Norris said he understood the family’s “anger” and offered an apology, but added the early release scheme was necessary to avoid the collapse of the prison system. He told Sky News: “Were we not to make these changes, then we would run out of prison places in this October or November. I know that’s difficult. I know that’s created harm, and it’s not Lissie Harper’s fault, and I’m sorry that she’s been put into this situation as a result, I genuinely am. But this is a decision we’ve had to take to make sure we have a functioning prison system.”
