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.