One of the individuals convicted in the death of Police Constable Andrew Harper was reportedly also a convicted sex offender and was considered fit for early release from prison, according to recent reports. Albert Bowers, 24, was among those slated to be freed after serving half of his 13-year manslaughter sentence, alongside accomplice Jessie Cole, 29.
PC Harper died in August 2019 after he became entangled in a strap attached to a fleeing vehicle. The vehicle was driven by Henry Long, who is serving a 16-year sentence and was not eligible for early release. Bowers and Cole were passengers in the car. The theft of a quad bike in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, preceded the incident.
Reports indicate that Bowers had a prior conviction for a sex offense before PC Harper's death. His prison records reportedly list him as a "sex offender," "violent," and "racist." A source suggested that this prior offense likely occurred when Bowers was under 18, which would have protected his anonymity in public records.
Jessie Cole, another accomplice, had previously been identified by jail officials as a "risk to staff."
The early release scheme, implemented in September 2024, aimed to address prison overcrowding by allowing certain inmates to be released after serving 40% of their sentence, a reduction from the standard 50%. Following a significant public backlash regarding the potential release of Bowers and Cole, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced in January that individuals convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, would be excluded from the scheme. Those with convictions for historic child sex offenses and indecent assault were also made ineligible.
Debbie Adlam, PC Harper's mother, expressed gratitude for the Prime Minister's decision but noted the family was back to the starting point after a difficult period. The chairwoman of the Thames Valley Police Federation, Aileen O'Connor, stated that the killers should never have been considered for early release and welcomed the government's eventual decision to keep them incarcerated.
Prime Minister Burnham has also excluded rapists and child sex offenders from the early release program. The changes are expected to reduce the number of individuals released early under the government's scheme from an initial estimate of 6,000 to approximately 5,000.
Unlawful act manslaughter occurs when a death results from a separate illegal act committed by the offender. The Prime Minister has indicated that additional prison capacity would be created through the deportation of foreign prisoners and the release of inmates serving indefinite Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, which were imposed on offenders deemed a significant risk to the public between 2005 and 2012.