Over one million sign petition to stop early release of PC Harper's killers

A petition initiated by the Thames Valley Police Federation chair has surpassed one million signatures, calling for the two men convicted of manslaughter in the 2019 death of PC Andrew Harper to remain in prison. Harper died after being dragged by a car while three teenagers fled a quad-bike theft. Jessi Cole and Albert Bowers received 13-year sentences in 2020 and, under recent changes to the Sentencing Act, could be considered for release in January after serving half their terms.

The prime minister is examining measures to prevent their release, while a third convicted driver, Henry Long, serves a 16-year term that does not qualify for the new early-release criteria. Appeals have come from 50 police chiefs and a group of 13 local politicians, urging that killers of emergency workers be excluded from the scheme. The prime minister has asked the justice secretary to fast-track a parliamentary proposal to create additional capacity in the prison system.