The PC Harper case has reignited anger over the government’s early release plan after the officer who led the investigation said he was appalled that two of the killers could be freed sooner than expected. Former Det Supt Stuart Blaik, who ran the Thames Valley Police inquiry into the killing, said the prospect was hard to understand and would shock police officers.
Blaik made the comments during an appearance on BBC Breakfast and said the case for early release was especially difficult to accept given the seriousness of the crime. He pointed to remarks from the trial judge, Mr Justice Edis, who described the manslaughter conviction as being very close to murder in seriousness. Blaik said prisoners found to have a high level of culpability in manslaughter cases should be kept out of the scheme.
PC Andrew Harper, 28, from Wallingford in Oxfordshire, died in 2019 after suffering catastrophic injuries when he was dragged behind a getaway car driven by three teenagers who had fled a quad bike theft. His widow, Lissie Harper, has also pushed for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers to be denied early release, arguing that justice should mean serving the sentence handed down.
Under the government’s revised prison policy, Cole and Bowers would become eligible for release after serving half of their 13-year sentences rather than two-thirds. The changes were announced as part of efforts to reduce overcrowding in prisons across England and Wales. The driver of the getaway car, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and will not be eligible under the same scheme.
