PC Harper's mother calls potential early release an insult

The mother of a police officer killed in the line of duty has condemned as an "insult" the potential early release of two of his killers under a new government scheme to ease prison overcrowding. Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 17 at the time of the crime, were sentenced to 13 years for the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper in August 2019. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed the men may be eligible for release halfway through their sentences when the new Sentencing Act comes into force in September.

PC Harper, 28, died after being caught in a strap attached to a fleeing vehicle and dragged along a country road in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, as he responded to a report of a quad bike theft. The driver of the car, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and is not eligible for the early release program. The government has stated the scheme will not apply to offenders deemed "the most dangerous," including those on extended determinate or life sentences, but has not ruled out its application to other serious offenders like killers, rapists, and child sex offenders.

Debbie Adlam, PC Harper's mother, said she received a letter from the Ministry of Justice notifying her of the...