Two of Pc Andrew Harper’s killers could be ‘released from prison early’ under Labour’s new scheme
Two of the murderers of police officer Andrew Harper could be released from prison early under Labor’s new plans to tackle prison overcrowding.
Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were sentenced to 13 years in prison for the manslaughter of PC Harper in 2020, are reportedly only eligible for release halfway through their sentences as part of the government’s early release scheme. Telegram.
PC Harper, 28, was fatally injured while working for Thames Valley Police in 2019 while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Three young suspects were caught in a strap tied to the back of a car and dragged down a winding country road as they fled the scene of the theft.
Henry Long, 19, was jailed for 16 years, while Cole and Bowers, 18, were sentenced to 13 years each for the manslaughter of a Thames Valley Police traffic officer.
His mother, Debbie Adlam, told Telegram He said he received a letter from the Ministry of Justice informing him that the murderers’ sentences could be reduced.
He said their potential early release was “an insult beyond anything words can express.”
“This makes me sick. Andrew’s life will not come back. It feels like a slap in the face and an insult,” he said.
The government’s early release plan aims to tackle overcrowding in prisons as the government estimates the incarcerated population could rise to between 98,000 and 103,600 by March 2030, with the central forecast at 100,600.
Some inmates will now serve 40 percent of their sentences in prison instead of 50 percent.
PC Harper’s wife Lissie, whom he married just a month before his death, would go on to campaign for the Harper Act, which would extend mandatory life sentences to anyone who manslaughters an on-duty emergency worker.
He was made an MBE in 2022 for his services to victims of violent crime and their families. A memorial stone dedicated to PC Harper was unveiled in Reading in April.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This was a horrific crime and we share our deepest condolences with the family and friends of PC Andrew Harper.
“In 2024, the country was facing a prison crisis and judges had been ordered to stop jailing dangerous criminals, and law and order had completely broken down. This government is committed to public safety: we are building prisons at the fastest pace since the Victorian era and taking the tough decisions needed to lock up the most dangerous criminals.”
