The widow of police constable Andrew Harper has said she is “beyond appalled” and “bristling with anger” after learning two of her husband’s killers will be allowed to be released from prison early.
PC Harper, 28, was working for Thames Valley Police when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019. He was caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a winding country road as the three teenage suspects fled the scene of the burglary.
Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were jailed for 13 years in 2020 for manslaughter over his killing. But it is understood the pair will be eligible for early release under a new government scheme despite Andy Burnham’s decision to bar some of the most serious sex offenders from qualifying.
His widow, Lissie Harper, slammed the decision and said it was an “utter betrayal” by the government.
“This is disgusting. I am beyond appalled and bristling with anger to hear that Andrew’s killers are soon to be free to roam the streets,” she said in a statement.
“What abhorrent message does this send? How dare ministers say the killing of a police officer is not enough of a ‘sickening crime’ that deserves the stiffest of punishments. The level of disrespect the government are showing to Andrew and other victims – and to their loved ones such as me – is beyond contempt.”
She added: “The killers of Andrew have shown no remorse... they robbed us of our future. They are vile criminals and they should remain in jail.
“To release them early from their already pitiful sentences is an affront to justice. The government and the justice system have not just let me down... they have added insult to injury. They are meant to be on our side.
“This is an utter betrayal – and it’s one I will not be able to forgive or forget.”
Justice secretary Alex Norris apologised to PC Harper’s family on Tuesday, but said changes were necessary to maintain a “functioning prison system”.
He told Sky News: “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.”
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PC Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, has also said her family is “paying the price” for the early release scheme.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight she said: “It feels like we’re letting Andrew down again. We’ve been through the justice system, we thought we’d done as best as we could.
“Now we’re standing up to fight again with this evening’s announcement, so I just feel really let down, for Andrew’s sake as well as ours.”
Ms Adlam confirmed the justice secretary had called her to explain the situation.
“Apparently, the situation is, if nothing was done, then the prison system would fall completely,” she said.
“But we’re paying the price for it. It’s Andrew and his family, and many others like us, we’re paying the price.”
Ms Adlam added she would continue fighting for justice, saying she “could not sit back and do nothing”.
It comes after the prime minister paused plans to release prisoners early in September to ease overcrowding in jails following outcry from the public, including from survivors of sexual violence. The scheme will now be delayed until October.
In an announcement on Monday night, Mr Burnham said rapists and serious child sex offenders, including those convicted of grooming offences, will be blocked from early release.
He added he understood the “anxiety and distress” caused by the scheme and insisted he “wanted to go even further”, but that it is not possible without the prison system collapsing and putting the public “at much greater risk”.
However, he assured the public that offenders will face tighter community supervision, including new GPS monitoring for rapists to restrict movements.
Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg has said he is “beyond disappointed” that Pc Andrew Harper’s killers would be eligible for early release.
He added: “It is simple: if Andrew’s killers were convicted today, they would receive life sentences due to the law that was created in his name. They would not be eligible for early release.
“This decision is demoralising for all police officers and our fellow emergency service workers, not just in the Thames Valley, that put themselves in harm’s way to protect and serve their community.
“We stand with Andrew’s family, the Police Federation, our police and crime commissioner in our dismay and we will continue to lobby the Government to make the right decision.”
Under changes in the Sentencing Act, some 6,000 offenders were set to be let out of prison in September after serving a third of their sentence – rather than half – in a bid to ease prison overcrowding.
Prisoners serving longer sentences of four years or more would be eligible for release at the halfway point of their term, rather than at two-thirds as had previously been the case.
The government has said that, after listening to victims’ concerns, rapists and child sexual offenders will not be eligible for the sentencing changes.
These will be added to the exclusions already in place for 18,000 offenders, including those who have been found by a court to be the most dangerous or anyone serving a life sentence.
The government has also announced a new package of victim support, backed by £10m in funding, to provide better trauma-informed contact.
In addition it says it would build 14,000 new prison places by 2031, with 3,000 already delivered in the past two years.
Kemi Badenoch said her party would build more prison places, rent cells abroad and deport foreign offenders to ease overcrowding.
She said: “Andy Burnham wants a round of applause for agreeing not to release rapists and child sex offenders. He’s not getting one.
“This is only a partial climbdown. Killers, violent offenders, men who have terrorised their partners and more will all still walk out of prison in October thanks to Labour’s early release scheme.
“Yet again victims are learning their fate from press releases.”
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