Downing Street admits it can’t stop PC Andrew Harper’s killers from being released from prison early
Downing Street has admitted it cannot prevent the early release of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were convicted of manslaughter over the death of PC Andrew Harper, despite significant public backlash. Officials said it was not legally possible to exempt "one or two offenders" from the government's early release scheme, which was introduced to ease prison overcrowding and is due to begin in October, since manslaughter of an emergency worker is not treated as a standalone offence.
PC Harper, 28, died in August 2019 after becoming caught in a strap attached to a fleeing vehicle while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Cole and Bowers were each jailed for 13 years in 2020 and remain eligible for release at the halfway point of their sentences, while driver Henry Long, sentenced to 16 years, is not eligible. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he had pushed the review "to the very limits" by excluding offences such as rape and serious child sex offences from the scheme, reducing the number expected to be freed early from 6,000 to 5,000. PC Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, called the situation "deplorable", and more than 880,000 people have signed a petition against the releases.
- No 10 says it cannot exempt PC Harper's killers from early release
- Cole and Bowers remain eligible for release from October scheme
- Widow calls it "deplorable"; petition tops 880,000 signatures
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The government faces a genuine prison overcrowding crisis that requires systematic solutions rather than case-by-case exemptions. Creating exceptions for individual offenders would undermine the rule of law by privileging certain cases over others with similar sentences, potentially rendering the entire scheme legally vulnerable. The government has already excluded serious sexual offences and rape; further broadening exclusions for single offenders would require legislative change that cannot be implemented mid-scheme, and applying sentencing policy inconsistently based on the victim's profession would abandon the principle that guidelines apply equally to all prisoners.
The case against
Police officers killed in the line of duty represent a unique betrayal of public service, and allowing their killers early release signals that the state undervalues those who protect society. The government had opportunity to anticipate and legislate emergency worker protections when designing the scheme; the claim that exemptions are impossible reflects poor legislative drafting rather than genuine legal constraint. With 880,000 citizens petitioning against release, the government should find legal mechanisms—whether through amended exemption clauses, legislative revision, or scheme redesign—to prevent this outcome, rather than allowing prison overcrowding to override justice for a murdered officer and erode public confidence in the justice system.