The UK government has signaled a change of policy regarding the early release of prisoners, pledging to announce measures next month that would prevent PC Andrew Harper's killers from being freed early. This development follows significant public pressure and a petition signed by over 800,000 individuals calling for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers to remain in prison.
Initially, Downing Street stated it was "not possible" to exempt specific offenders convicted of manslaughter from an early release scheme. However, Angela Rayner, the Communities Secretary, announced that the Justice Secretary will present plans to Parliament in September to ensure the "most serious criminals" are kept behind bars. Rayner confirmed these plans would include individuals convicted of abhorrent crimes, such as the killers of police officers.
PC Andrew Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer, was killed in August 2019 while responding to a quad bike theft. Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter in 2020 and sentenced to 13 years each. Under the existing early release scheme, they were scheduled to be freed halfway through their sentences in January.
Debbie Adlam, PC Harper's mother, reported being contacted by Downing Street, expressing a glimmer of hope for a resolution. She conveyed her frustration with the perceived lack of effort in finding ways to keep her son's killers incarcerated, stating that she felt compelled to advocate for her son's killers to serve their full sentences.
The early release scheme is expected to affect approximately 5,000 individuals due to sentencing changes, a reduction from an initial estimate of 6,000 after exemptions were made for those convicted of rape, serious child sex offenses, and grooming offenses. The Prime Minister had previously indicated that these exemptions pushed the prison system to its limits.
Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter for their role in PC Harper's death.
