Key facts
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham is exploring options to block the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers.
- Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 years each.
- They are eligible for early release halfway through their sentences under a government scheme.
- The scheme aims to free up space in overcrowded prisons.
- PC Harper was killed in 2019 while responding to a quad bike theft.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is reportedly exploring every possible avenue to prevent the early release of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, the killers of PC Andrew Harper. The government has so far resisted calls to exempt the pair from a scheme that will see approximately 5,000 inmates freed early to address prison overcrowding.
Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter in 2020 for their roles in the 2019 death of PC Harper, who was 28 when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft. They were each sentenced to 13 years and remain eligible to be released halfway through their sentences under the current plans.
Burnham has previously stated he has "pushed to the very limits of what is possible" to exclude sentences for serious sexual offenses and child abuse from the early release scheme. Reports suggest he is now seeking advice on potentially excluding manslaughter sentences as well.
PC Harper's family, including his widow Lissie Harper and mother Debbie Adlam, have expressed significant anger and disappointment, calling the potential early release "deplorable" and "disgraceful." A petition to stop the release has garnered over 780,000 signatures.
The early release changes are part of the Sentencing Act, which reduces the minimum time many offenders spend in prison. Henry Long, the driver of the vehicle involved in PC Harper's death, received a 16-year sentence and is not eligible for early release.