Debbie Adlam, the mother of murdered police constable Andrew Harper, has stated that a call from Downing Street has given her hope regarding the potential exclusion of certain offenders from an early prison release scheme. Adlam's son, PC Harper, 28, died in 2019 when he was dragged by a getaway car following a quad bike theft.
Two individuals, Cole and Bowers, were convicted of manslaughter in PC Harper's death and sentenced to 13 years in 2020. Under recent changes to the Sentencing Act, they were set to become eligible for release from custody as early as next January. This eligibility stems from a change in policy that previously required prisoners convicted of certain serious violent or sexual crimes to serve at least two-thirds of their sentence before being considered for release.
Downing Street had previously indicated that excluding specific offenders from the scheme, designed to alleviate prison overcrowding, would not be feasible. However, reports suggest that the Prime Minister has instructed the justice secretary to find a way to prevent Cole and Bowers from benefiting from this early release provision. The Prime Minister later expressed confidence that measures to increase prison capacity would allow for a reduction in early releases and, in the case of serious offenders like those convicted of PC Harper's killing, prevent their early release altogether.
Adlam described the conflicting reports as a source of anger and turmoil for her family. While she acknowledged receiving a call from Downing Street and intends to have faith in it, she also stated the need to protect her own feelings. She emphasized that she is not seeking a special case for her son but rather an exemption for all killers of emergency workers from such schemes. Adlam stressed the importance of the government getting this issue right, expressing concern that the situation felt like a "hash, like a rush job."