The UK Prime Minister has reportedly instructed the Justice Secretary to find a way to prevent the early release of two men convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, according to the BBC, after Downing Street had previously said it would not be possible to exclude individual offenders from the scheme.
UK Government Seeks to Block Early Release of PC Harper's Killers
The UK Prime Minister has reportedly instructed the Justice Secretary to find a way to prevent the early release of two men convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, according to the BBC, after Downing Street had previously said it would not be possible to exclude individual offenders from the scheme.
Cole and Bowers were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020. Under changes to the Sentencing Act made this year, they are due to become eligible for release from custody in January.
They fall into a category of prisoners convicted of certain serious violent or sexual offences who, until now, would have been required to serve at least two-thirds of their sentence before being considered for release.
The early release scheme was designed to ease prison overcrowding. Downing Street had previously stated it would not be possible to exclude 'one or two offenders' convicted of manslaughter from the scheme.
The Prime Minister later said he was 'increasingly confident' that work to increase space in the prison system 'will allow us to reduce the number of people released early,' adding that in the case of the most serious offenders, such as those convicted of the killing of PC Harper, early release could be prevented altogether.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner said the government was still examining all options and that the Justice Secretary had been tasked with reporting to parliament in September.
PC Harper, aged 28 and from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, died in 2019 after being dragged behind the getaway vehicle of three teenagers who had fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire.
PC Harper's mother, referred to as Adlam in the source, said conflicting reports had made her 'more and more angry' and left her family 'in turmoil.' She said she was attempting to have faith in assurances received from Downing Street while also protecting her own feelings.
She stated she was not seeking anything beyond the original sentences imposed: 'I'm only asking for them to do what they were given.'
PC Harper's widow reportedly said she 'will not give up' and urged people to sign a petition calling for his killers to be denied early release. More than 900,000 people have signed the petition, which was set up by Thames Valley Police Federation.
- The specific legal mechanism by which Cole and Bowers could be excluded from the early release scheme is not established.
- Whether the Justice Secretary has identified a viable legal route to block the release is not confirmed.
- The identity of 'Adlam' and her precise relationship to PC Harper is not clearly stated in the source text.
- The third teenager involved in the incident and their sentencing status are not mentioned.
- The current prison population figures or the scale of overcrowding prompting the scheme are not provided.
- Whether parliament will act on the Justice Secretary's September report before January eligibility date is not established.
- The content of the direct phone call Adlam received from Downing Street is not detailed.