PC Harper widow 'won't give up' early release fight
Lissie Harper, the widow of PC Andrew Harper, is campaigning against the potential early release of her husband's killers under new government prison overcrowding measures. The petition has gained significant public support, highlighting tensions between prison capacity management and victim justice.
Why it matters
The story reflects ongoing debates in the UK regarding sentencing policy, justice for emergency workers, and prison reform.
Image source, Martis Media Image caption, Lissie Harper successfully campaigned for harsher sentences for the manslaughter of emergency workers on duty
The widow of a police officer has said she hopes people will share a petition calling for his killers to be denied early release from prison, insisting she "will not give up".
PC Andrew Harper, from Wallingford, died in 2019 when he was dragged by a car as three teenagers fled the scene of a Berkshire quad bike theft.
Under updated plans to tackle prison overcrowding, two of PC Harper's killers - Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers - would be eligible for release next year.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the government was trying to avert "a prison capacity crisis".
Lissie Harper said: "Hopefully we can make the current government come to their senses and realise we cannot put people like this back on our streets.
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