Police chief considers joining legal action over PC Harper killers' early release
Summary
The chief of Thames Valley Police is thinking about joining a legal case to stop two men who killed Police Constable Andrew Harper from being released early from prison. The men were convicted of manslaughter in 2020, but the new law requiring longer sentences for killers of emergency workers does not apply to their case.Key Facts
- PC Andrew Harper was killed in 2019 while chasing suspects of quad bike theft.
- Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, passengers in the car that killed Harper, got 13-year sentences for manslaughter.
- They may be released early after serving half their sentences due to a new early release scheme.
- The driver, Henry Long, got 16 years and cannot be released early.
- Thames Valley Police Chief Jason Hogg is discussing joining legal action with the Police Federation.
- "Harper's Law," passed in 2022, gives tougher sentences for killing emergency workers but does not apply to cases before it started.
- The government says manslaughter is not excluded from early release and that it would be unfair to block individual cases.
- Justice Secretary Alex Norris said limiting early releases could cause a prison overcrowding problem.
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