'I will never fully come to terms with Andrew’s death'

Earlier this week, Lissie Harper, the widow of PC Andrew Harper, killed in the line of duty in August 2019 while responding to a burglary, appeared on an ITV documentary to talk about the night she lost her husband, the subsequent court case, reaction to the result and her pursuit of justice.

Her campaigning has resulted in the introduction of Harper’s Law, which will see anyone found guilty of killing an emergency services worker jailed for life. The law will apply to the killing of all emergency services victims such as police officers, fire-fighters, nurses, doctors, paramedics and prison officers.

To coincide with the release of the documentary, Ms Harper provided a question-and-answer interview to the media.

Why do you think Harper’s Law is important?

Harper’s Law is important because currently those who commit these heinous crimes receive pitiful sentences and will therefore find themselves on the street in a mere few years after robbing someone of their life. There are no deterrents in our country for taking the lives of people who work tirelessly to protect the public. This sends a worrying message to those who break the law. This needed to change. If you take someone’s life, surely you do not deserve to walk our streets freely. Our protectors willingly put themselves in the line of fire everyday to keep us all safe, the do their duty with little pay, little thanks and barely any protection, the least we can do is to give them some justice if the worst should happen.

Do you still feel that you were robbed of justice?

During my husband’s court cases I was so sure that the justice system would succeed in providing exactly that… Justice. However this was ultimately not the case. Myself and hundreds of thousands of others around the country were mortified at the verdicts and sentences imposed onto three men who had callously stolen the life of a heroic police officer, another human being just doing his job, they showed no remorse or feeling during these trials whatsoever.

Your Mum mentions in the documentary that she hopes the law being passed will bring you some sort of closure. Do you think it will and how do you see yourself moving forward?

I think that suffering a trauma like I have, it is impossible to fully heal, to mend the cracks of a broken heart entirely. Grief stays with us forever… we only learn to cope with it better, learning a new version of normal and accepting that the future that you thought you would have is gone. This law will sadly never change the outcome of my husband’s death, nor will it change the outcome of the trial and the sentences imposed on his killers. But the creation of Harper’s Law was never to bring me comfort or closure. This campaign I embarked on was always for those who find themselves in a similar position in the future. To offer justice to the protectors who will heartbreakingly lose their lives in the line of duty, and for their families who await the decisions in a court room just like I did. I do feel that the success of getting this new law through will hopefully allow me to begin to move forward. It has been an arduous road and taken all that I have over the past two years. I hope that now I might begin to live a new version of a normal life again, away from the public eye.

How did you find the process of bringing about this change in the law? Would you consider a role in politics?

I found this process to be incredibly exhausting and complicated. Myself and my team have put in a lot of time. Myself and Acting Inspector Andy Fiddler, of Thames Valley Police, have worked many hours and long days, Zoom calls, meetings in London and beyond, talks in Parliament, Party Conferences, meeting with Emergency Services unions and lots of rallying for support. We have always remained driven and determined to keep going until we achieved our goal of Harper’s Law… In our minds It was only a matter of time. Once Harper’s Law is officially through I will say goodbye to my political experience. Although there are so many causes that are dear to my heart and lots that needs to be changed. I set out on this journey with one goal in mind, something that sadly has become very personal to me due to the loss of my husband in 2019. However a role in politics is not something that I aspire to involve myself in once my battle has been won.

Harper’s Law will be Andrew’s legacy but how would you ultimately want Andrew, the man, to be remembered?

Andrew was many things. In his job he was brave, reliable, conscientious and an amazing team player. He gained so much respect even as such a young officer. He had such a promising career ahead of him that was taken away, but he will always be remembered as kind and supportive to his colleagues. To me though, Andrew was much more than a police officer. He was funny and selfless and had a love for life that not many people possess. He was always honest, hard working and a loving husband. He was my best friend and I will treasure every memory I have of the time we had together.

What does the future hold for you?

I feel that I have come a long way in the last two and a half years. I don’t think I will ever fully come to terms with Andrew’s death, such an unexpected and shocking change to my life and the future we had planned. But I am so grateful for the support I have received from the public – partly with Harper’s Law but also with my grief in general. I have made many, many incredible friends during this journey to add to the support group that already carried me through the hardest times. Who knows what the future holds for me? But I plan to be grateful for every moment, take myself away from the media spotlight and live how Andrew would want me to – to be happy and listen to my heart, to do things that I feel are right. My moral compass – like Andrew’s – will always remain honourable.