Andrew Harper, 28, died when he was dragged down a country road in Berkshire by three men fleeing the scene of a quad bike theft. Photograph: Thames Valley Police/PA View image in fullscreen Andrew Harper, 28, died when he was dragged down a country road in Berkshire by three men fleeing the scene of a quad bike theft. Photograph: Thames Valley Police/PA UK criminal justice Chief constable considers joining legal action if PC’s killers are released early Thames Valley’s top officer says he may join Police Federation in court if convicted pair are freed from jail
Prefer the Guardian on Google The chief constable of Thames Valley police has said he will consider joining legal action against the government if it fails to block the early release of two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers.
The Police Federation is contemplating going to court in its attempts to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison.
In August 2019, Harper, 28, died when he was dragged down a country road in Berkshire by a car as Cole, Bowers and their accomplice Henry Long fled the scene of a quad bike theft.
All three were convicted of manslaughter in 2020. Cole and Bowers were sentenced to 13 years in prison and could be released early as part of the government’s drive to free up prison places.
Long, who was driving the car, was given a 16-year jail sentence and does not qualify for early release.
View image in fullscreen Jessie Cole (left) and Albert Bowers are each serving a 13-year sentence for manslaughter. Photograph: Thames Valley police/PA On Wednesday morning, Jason Hogg, who was on duty the night Harper died, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he would “certainly” consider joining the Police Federation in court action if the government refused to reverse its position, pending legal advice.
“I was contacted by the Police Federation yesterday who informed me they are seeking legal advice, exploring opportunities for a judicial review against the government,” he told the Guardian on Wednesday afternoon.
“So I’m watching with interest and I will be speaking to the Police Federation again.
“But my hope is that we will never get there and that there is no need for the Police Federation to go down the line of a judicial review because the government will listen. ”
Read more Prison capacity in England and Wales is at critical levels. From October, the government plans to release about 5,000 prisoners who have served a third of their sentence.
Harper’s widow, Lissie, successfully campaigned for a change in the law after his death.
Legislation introduced four years ago – the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 – means those convicted of the manslaughter of emergency workers on duty now face mandatory life sentences. However, the law cannot be applied retrospectively.
Hogg said he wrote to the prime minister, Andy Burnham , 12 days ago to express concerns that Cole and Bowers might be included in the scheme, but had not received a reply.
He added that he planned to write again to Burnham, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and the justice secretary, Alex Norris, to convey “the impact of the decision on the morale of my officers, but also on the 2,000 people who work in policing across the country”.
Hogg would not be drawn on whether all prisoners convicted of manslaughter should be exempt from the scheme.
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