Labour ‘spitting in faces of police’ by failing to halt release of PC Harper’s killers, says ex-colleague
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Downing Street has faced fresh backlash after appearing to rule out blocking the early release of two of PC Andrew Harper's killers, before a late-night U-turn saw No 10 say prime minister Andy Burnham has asked justice secretary Alex Norris to explore ways to keep more serious offenders, including Harper's killers, behind bars. Former officer Chris Bushnell, who attended the scene when PC Harper was killed in 2019, accused the government of "spitting in the faces of police officers", while Harper's mother, Debbie Adlam, said she remains "really angry" and has had no contact from the prime minister despite his public appearances elsewhere.
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of manslaughter in 2020, are currently set to be released in January after serving half of their 13-year sentences, while driver Henry Long, sentenced to 16 years, is not eligible for early release. More than 880,000 people have signed a petition demanding the pair remain in prison, and Thames Valley Police Federation is considering legal action to block their release. No 10 had insisted it was "not possible" to exempt individual manslaughter offenders from the scheme, citing risks of prison overcrowding and police being unable to make arrests, before the later report of a possible policy shift emerged via Sky News.
- No 10 reversed course, now reviewing ways to keep Harper's killers jailed
- Cole and Bowers due for release in January after half of 13-year terms
- Over 880,000 signed petition; Harper's mother says PM hasn't contacted her
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Labour's plan to release thousands of prisoners early, brought in to ease overcrowding in England and Wales, has run into controversy over two specific cases: Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were convicted of manslaughter over the death of PC Andrew Harper in 2019. Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer, died after being dragged behind a car while responding to a burglary; the driver, Henry Long, received a longer sentence and is not affected by the early release scheme, but Cole and Bowers are due out in January after serving half their terms.
The case has become a flashpoint because it pits a broad, policy-driven early release scheme against a single high-profile, emotionally charged case involving a police officer's death. It has drawn in Harper's family, his former police colleagues, campaigners who have gathered a large public petition, and Thames Valley Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers and has floated legal action.
At the centre of the row is the government's handling of the issue, including confusion over whether ministers would intervene to keep the pair in prison longer, which has raised wider questions about how much control the government has over sentencing decisions once an early release policy is in place.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates for blocking the early release argue that PC Harper's killers should serve a sentence proportionate to the gravity of taking a police officer's life in the line of duty, and that early release under a general scheme risks treating an exceptional case as routine. They contend that public confidence in the justice system, and in the state's duty of care to officers who risk their lives, depends on ministers being willing to intervene rather than hide behind administrative process. For Harper's family, former colleagues and the 880,000 petitioners, consistency with an abstract policy matters less than ensuring the punishment reflects the severity of the crime and honours the sacrifice involved.
The case against
Those defending the government's initial caution argue that early-release schemes exist for sound practical reasons, including managing prison capacity and ensuring police retain the ability to make arrests and hold offenders on remand, and that carving out ad hoc exceptions for individual, high-profile cases undermines the predictability and fairness of sentencing law. They point out that Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter, not murder, following due legal process, and that a justice system where ministers can retrospectively override release dates in response to public pressure risks eroding the separation between politics and sentencing, potentially setting a precedent that destabilises the system for less prominent cases too.
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