The family and former colleagues of PC Andrew Harper have welcomed a Government U-turn that will prevent the two men convicted of killing the officer from benefiting from planned early prison release measures.
The decision came after a petition backed by The Sun attracted more than one million signatures, with supporters demanding that Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers remain behind bars rather than be released early under proposed changes to sentencing rules.
Thames Valley Police Federation chair Aileen O’Connor said the decision represented “a measure of justice for Harps.”
For Andrew Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, the announcement brought relief after weeks of anger and uncertainty. But she also said the family had been put through an extremely difficult period simply to return to the position they had been in before the proposed changes.
Family says the past two months have been ‘traumatic’
Debbie welcomed the Government’s decision but said the uncertainty surrounding the proposed release scheme had been deeply distressing.
“Of course, I’m grateful. I’m glad that we don’t have to go through any more of this now, and you know, they’ll get to serve what they were actually supposed to be serving,” she said.
However, she described her emotions as mixed.
“It’s a really mixed bag of emotions because on the one hand we are glad, but we’ve been brought through the mill, and we are only back at where we were to start with.”
She added that the family had effectively spent months fighting to restore the position they believed should never have been changed.
Debbie also told BBC Breakfast that she remained concerned about other victims and families who might not receive a similar outcome, warning that the wider justice system still had “some huge gaps”.
Petition passes one million signatures
The Government’s reversal followed intense public pressure, including a petition calling for Cole and Bowers to be excluded from the early-release plans.
The petition had reached 1,071,640 signatures.
O’Connor, who organised the campaign, said the two men should never have been considered for early release in the first place.
“We are delighted the Government finally listened and a measure of justice for Harps can now be delivered,” she said.
She added that it remained “shocking” that the pair had ever been considered eligible.
The campaign also received support from senior police figures. Around 50 police chiefs, including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, signed a letter calling on the Government to reconsider the proposed changes.
How PC Andrew Harper was killed
PC Andrew Harper was 28 when he was killed in August 2019.
The newlywed officer had finished a late shift and was due to go on honeymoon when he responded to an incident involving a group attempting to steal a quad bike.
Cole and Bowers, who were both 17 at the time, were passengers in a Seat Toledo driven by Henry Long. A tow rope trailing from the vehicle became caught around Harper’s ankles.
The officer was dragged for more than a mile along a lane in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.
Cole and Bowers were subsequently convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 years in prison each at the Old Bailey.
Long, who was 18 at the time, received a 16-year sentence after admitting manslaughter.
He was acquitted of murder after telling jurors that loud music was playing inside his car and that he had not heard the officer.
Harper’s widow had called the proposed release a ‘punch in the gut’
News that Cole and Bowers could potentially be released early triggered an angry response from Harper’s family.
His widow, Lissie Harper, who was 34, described the prospect as “a punch in the gut.”
Lissie had previously campaigned for Harper’s Law, legislation named in honour of her husband that provides for mandatory life sentences for those convicted of killing emergency workers in specified circumstances.
At the time of the early-release controversy, she also told Prime Minister Andy Burnham: “You should be ashamed.”
Andrew’s mother, Debbie, similarly said the proposed release felt like another disappointment for her son when viewed against the circumstances of his death.
Government changes the rules
Prime Minister Andy Burnham initially resisted calls to alter the proposed arrangements but eventually paused the scheme following the widespread backlash.
Announcing the reversal on planned tariff reductions, Burnham said he had listened to Andrew Harper’s family.
“Nobody would want a position to arise where those guilty of killing a police officer are let out early from prison,” he said.
Under the revised position, people convicted of unlawful killing will be excluded from the early-release scheme.
Cole and Bowers will therefore remain subject to their existing sentences and will serve two-thirds of their tariff before becoming eligible for parole.
The exemption will also cover a number of other serious offences, including murder and manslaughter, rape, child sexual offences and grooming, indecent assault, and causing death by dangerous driving.
‘It’s justice for Harps’
For Andrew Harper’s family and colleagues, the Government’s decision represents a significant reversal after weeks of campaigning.
But Debbie stressed that relief does not erase what the family has endured.
She said she hoped the Prime Minister would follow through on his commitment to a broader overhaul of the justice system over the coming years.
For now, however, the immediate concern surrounding the early release of Andrew Harper’s killers has been resolved.
As O’Connor put it, the decision means that “a measure of justice for Harps” can finally be delivered.
