Key facts
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has instructed the Justice Secretary to find a way to exclude PC Andrew Harper's killers from an early release scheme.
- Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of manslaughter, are eligible for release in January after serving half their sentences.
- The government had previously indicated that excluding specific offenders from the early release program would be challenging.
- The Justice Secretary is expected to announce measures to prevent Cole and Bowers from benefiting from the scheme.
- Approximately 5,000 prisoners are anticipated to be released under the revised sentencing changes.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has instructed the Justice Secretary to find a way to prevent the killers of PC Andrew Harper from being released early under a scheme designed to alleviate prison overcrowding. Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020, are set to become eligible for release next January after serving half their sentences.
Downing Street had previously indicated that excluding specific offenders, particularly those convicted of manslaughter, from the early release program would be difficult. However, Burnham is reportedly confident a solution can be found. The Prime Minister has been actively involved in seeking a resolution, making daily calls while on holiday.
PC Harper, 28, died in 2019 when he was dragged behind a getaway car after confronting teenagers involved in a quad bike theft. His widow, Lissie Harper, has been a prominent voice in the campaign to keep Cole and Bowers in prison, advocating for stricter sentences for those who kill emergency workers.
The early release scheme, part of changes to the Sentencing Act, is expected to see around 5,000 prisoners freed, a reduction from an initial estimate of 6,000 after exemptions for those convicted of serious violent and sexual crimes were already implemented. The third man jailed for PC Harper's manslaughter, Henry Long, received a longer sentence and is not eligible for this particular early release scheme.
Concerns have been raised by former officers and police federations about the potential release of Cole and Bowers, with some expressing anger and disappointment. A petition to prevent their early release has garnered approximately 900,000 signatures. Former victims' commissioner Dame Vera Baird suggested that careful consideration should be given to which prisoners are released, also highlighting the issue of individuals serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.