Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is becoming increasingly confident that the early release of two men convicted over the death of police officer PC Andrew Harper can be prevented, following mounting public and political pressure over the case.
Burnham has instructed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to explore further measures that could keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison beyond the point at which they would otherwise become eligible for release under the government’s revised prisoner-release arrangements.
The two men were convicted of manslaughter in connection with the death of PC Harper, who was killed in August 2019 while responding to a burglary involving the theft of a quad bike in Berkshire. Harper, who was 28, became caught in a strap attached to a vehicle as the suspects fled the scene and was dragged along a road, suffering fatal injuries.
Cole and Bowers, who were both 17 at the time, were sentenced to 13 years in custody following their conviction at the Old Bailey in 2020. The driver of the vehicle, Henry Long, received a longer 16 -year sentence and is not expected to qualify for the same early-release arrangement.
Under changes intended partly to ease pressure on an overcrowded prison system, Cole and Bowers could otherwise become eligible for release after serving approximately half of their sentences. Their potential release has generated intense criticism from Harper’s family, police representatives and members of the public.
Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, has previously expressed deep distress over the possibility that the men could leave prison earlier than expected. His widow, Lissie Harper, has also criticised the policy, arguing that decisions about prisoner releases have serious and lasting consequences for victims’ families.
The controversy has also created a difficult challenge for the government. The early-release policy was introduced against the backdrop of severe pressure on prison capacity, meaning that excluding particular categories of prisoners could have wider consequences for the prison system. Government officials are therefore considering several options, including increasing the effective use of existing prison capacity, accelerating the deportation of eligible foreign offenders and dealing with other groups of prisoners whose sentences affect available space.
The government had previously indicated that there were legal and practical limits to simply removing individual offenders from the scheme. The latest decision to ask the justice secretary to investigate additional solutions represents a significant change in tone.
For Harper’s family and many police officers, however, the issue goes beyond the technicalities of prison capacity. It has become a broader question about how the justice system treats those convicted of serious crimes against emergency workers and how the rights of victims and their families are balanced against the government's responsibility to manage overcrowded prisons.
Burnham's latest position does not yet amount to a final legal solution. The government is still working through how the proposed changes could be implemented without creating wider problems within the justice system. Further details are expected as ministers continue discussions over the prisoner-release arrangements.
The case has consequently become one of the most closely watched tests of the government's approach to sentencing, prison capacity and public confidence in the criminal justice system.