Prime Minister Seeks to Block Early Release of Pc Harper's Killers
Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, serving 13-year sentences for the 2019 killing of Pc Andrew Harper, face government intervention to prevent their early release under a prison overcrowding scheme.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Sarah Connor
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is moving to prevent the early release of Pc Andrew Harper's killers.
PC Harper died during the theft of a quad bike in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, dragged by a car after becoming caught in a strap attached to the fleeing vehicle.
An online petition against the early release of his killers has garnered over one million signatures.
The Government introduced the early release scheme under the Sentencing Act to address prison overcrowding; the Ministry of Justice states the Act intends to restore order to a prison system.
Ministers have already exempted prisoners convicted of murder, rape, or serious child sex offenses from this early release program. They are understood to be delaying wider releases from prison under the Sentencing Act from September to October.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly seeks to stop Bowers and Cole from being freed early under the scheme, ordering an urgent review into the proposed early release of about 6,000 prisoners.
Mr. Burnham last week stated he was “increasingly confident” PC Harper’s killers would not be released early from their sentences as a result of these efforts. He instructed his team to pause the changes due to start in September.
The Prime Minister has ordered Justice Secretary Alex Norris to draw up plans to free up prison space for serious offenders; Mr. Norris stated the government needed time to get it right.
Minister Lilian Greenwood told Times Radio that the Prime Minister has asked the Justice Secretary to devise plans to tackle the inherited crisis in prison capacity.
Options being examined by ministers reportedly include exempting prisoners who committed “unlawful act” manslaughter.
The Ministry of Justice is building 14,000 new prison places, expanding electronic tagging, and investing in probation services to further address capacity issues. It exceeded its recruitment target last year with 1,389 trainee probation officers starting.
Some 5,000 people are expected to be released early under the Government’s sentencing changes.