PC Andrew Harper's killers set to be excluded from early release scheme

Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, two of PC Andrew Harper's killers, will reportedly be barred from Labour's early release scheme. A review is under way led by Justice Secretary Alex Norris.

Bowers and Cole to remain behind bars under new manslaughter exemption

Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole — two of the three men convicted of killing PC Andrew Harper — will be excluded from the government's early release scheme, The Independent reports, citing The Telegraph.

Under a planned legislative change, offenders serving sentences for specific categories of manslaughter will no longer qualify for early discharge. Bowers and Cole are currently serving 13-year sentences and, under existing rules, would have been released next year after completing half their terms.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham had previously promised to do "everything possible" to keep the pair in custody, following widespread condemnation of the scheme. Earlier this month, however, he declined to confirm the specific change relating to "unlawful act" manslaughter when pressed by reporters, describing media reports as "speculation".

Burnham subsequently ordered a review of the policy, to be conducted by Justice Secretary Alex Norris. The review is expected to be published when Parliament returns from summer recess in September. Norris was asked by Burnham "to develop a plan to maximise public safety and minimise the early release of prisoners."

Police chiefs have since been informed that Norris intends to introduce secondary legislation to amend the Sentencing Act, according to the newspaper.

Background to the case

Bowers and Cole were passengers in a car that fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019. PC Harper became caught in a strap attached to the vehicle and was dragged down a country road, sustaining fatal injuries.

Labour's early release scheme was introduced in September 2024 with the stated aim of easing overcrowding in prisons. It permits certain prisoners to be freed after serving 40% of a fixed-term sentence, rather than the standard 50%. The 2026 Sentencing Act, which became law earlier this year, enables a further reduction of that threshold to one third.

Since taking office, Burnham has already excluded rapists and child sex offenders from the scheme. Unlawful act manslaughter — the category under which Bowers and Cole were convicted — refers to cases where a person causes another's death while committing a separate illegal act.

A government spokesperson said: "The death of PC Andrew Harper was a horrific crime. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and we share the anger from the police community that we are in this position."

The spokesperson added that the prime minister had 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 government also pointed to Harper's Law, introduced following campaigning by Harper's family, which mandates a life sentence for anyone convicted of killing an emergency worker while committing a crime. It said it had gone further still by introducing a presumption that anyone convicted of murdering a police, prison or probation officer receives a whole-life order.

Source: The Independent