Former officer says he's 'appalled' PC Harper's killers could be released early
A former senior police officer has expressed strong opposition to the potential early release of two men convicted of killing PC Andrew Harper. The killers are eligible for release under a government scheme intended to reduce prison overcrowding.
Why it matters
The case highlights the tension between government efforts to manage prison capacity and public expectations for justice in cases involving the death of law enforcement officers.
Image source, PA Image caption, Albert Bowers (left) and Jessie Cole (centre) are eligible to be freed under the early release scheme
The senior investigating officer in the PC Andrew Harper case has told the BBC he is "appalled" that two of the killers will become eligible for early release.
PC Harper, 28, from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, died from catastrophic injuries in 2019 when he was dragged behind the getaway car of three teenagers who had fled the scene of a quad bike theft.
Two of his killers – Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers – will be eligible for early release next year under revised government plans to tackle prison overcrowding.
PC Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, has been among a growing number calling for Cole and Bowers to be denied early release from prison.
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