Prime Minister Andy Burnham is seeking a legal pathway to exclude the killers of PC Andrew Harper from an early prison release program, aiming to keep them incarcerated longer. Burnham has instructed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to identify ways to prevent Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers from being eligible for the scheme, which is intended to reduce prison overcrowding.
The Prime Minister is confident that a solution can be found, despite earlier indications from Downing Street that excluding specific offenders convicted of manslaughter might not be feasible. Cole and Bowers were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020. Under recent amendments to the Sentencing Act, they are set to become eligible for release in January, having served half of their sentences. Previously, individuals convicted of certain serious violent or sexual offenses were required to serve at least two-thirds of their sentence before being considered for release.
PC Andrew Harper, 28, died in 2019 after being dragged by a car fleeing a quad bike theft scene in Berkshire. His killers, Cole and Bowers, were found not guilty of murder but convicted of manslaughter. The third individual involved in PC Harper's death, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence for manslaughter and is not eligible for the early release scheme due to receiving an extended determinate sentence at the time.
The government has stated that the Prime Minister has asked the Justice Secretary to "work through further options to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of PC Harper." The Justice Secretary is expected to outline the government's approach to excluding Cole and Bowers from early release "in due course." Sources indicate that the Prime Minister has been actively involved in finding a solution, making daily calls while on holiday. Approximately 5,000 individuals are expected to be released under the current sentencing changes, a reduction from an initial estimate of 6,000 after exemptions were introduced for those convicted of severe crimes such as rape, child sex offenses, and grooming.
It remains unclear how the government will specifically exclude Cole and Bowers without impacting other inmates with similar sentences, as a blanket exclusion for manslaughter convictions could affect numerous prisoners.