PM seeks a way to block early release of PC Harper’s killers
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered the justice secretary to find a way to prevent the killers of PC Andrew Harper from being released early under the government’s plans to ease prison overcrowding.
The government had previously said it was not possible to exempt individual offenders convicted of manslaughter from the scheme, but Downing Street has now asked Justice Secretary Alex Norris to explore other options.
A government spokesperson said the prime minister had asked Norris to “work through further options to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of PC Harper”.
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were each sentenced to 13 years for the manslaughter of PC Harper, who was killed while responding to a quad-bike theft in Berkshire in 2019. Both men are currently due to be released in January, having served half of their sentences.
The government announced last week that offenders convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming offences would be excluded from the early release changes. Around 5,000 prisoners are now expected to benefit from the scheme.
The decision to exclude Harper’s killers has come amid mounting pressure from his family and police officers, with a petition calling for government intervention having attracted more than 900,000 signatures.
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said the prime minister was “determined” to find a solution and had asked the justice secretary to return to parliament in September with proposals.
The third man convicted over PC Harper’s death, Henry Long, was sentenced to 16 years and received an extended determinate sentence, meaning he is not eligible for the early release scheme.