Police launch legal fight over PC Harper killers' early release

Police launch legal fight over PC Harper killers' early release

Police launch fight against early release

The Police Federation has vowed to mount a legal challenge to stop two of PC Andrew Harper's killers being released early, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces mounting political pressure over the controversial sentencing policy.

Federation Chair Tiff Lynch said the organisation would "throw everything" at blocking the release, promising to instruct leading King's Counsel and barristers in a bid to overturn the decision.

The move comes after ministers confirmed that thousands of prisoners will qualify for early release under the new Sentencing Act, including two of the three men convicted over the killing of the Thames Valley police officer.

Widow brands decision a 'gut punch'

PC Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, delivered a scathing attack on the Government, describing the decision as a "secondary gut punch" inflicted not by criminals, but by those in power.

She said her husband had never received true justice after the courts handed down what she described as "pitiful" sentences, adding that releasing his killers early would only deepen the family's pain.

Lissie accused ministers of making "absurd" decisions because prisons are overcrowded and warned the policy sends a dangerous message that Britain is becoming increasingly weak on crime.

"The people making these decisions should be utterly ashamed of themselves," she said.

Police morale hit by controversial policy

Senior policing figures have also lined up against the early release scheme.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg said he was considering joining the Police Federation's legal action, describing the prospect of the killers being freed early as "perverse."

He warned the decision risks seriously damaging confidence in the criminal justice system and said many serving officers simply cannot understand why offenders responsible for killing a police officer should benefit from early release.

Hogg also expressed concern about the impact on morale across policing, saying officers who risk their lives daily feel badly let down.

Public anger gathers pace

The backlash has spread far beyond the police service.

A petition launched by the Police Federation calling for the decision to be reversed has already passed 100,000 signatures, highlighting growing public opposition to the policy.

PC Harper's mother, Debbie Adlam, said the family was "bitterly disappointed," insisting her son deserved far better.

The Government's revised early release scheme is expected to free around 5,000 prisoners after ministers excluded rapists and child sex offenders following widespread criticism.

Ministers defend difficult decision

Justice Secretary Alex Norris admitted ministers had wanted to exempt more serious offenders but argued the prison estate simply could not cope.

He acknowledged the distress caused to victims' families and confirmed he had personally apologised to relatives, including the Harper family.

Norris said previous governments had failed to provide enough prison places, leaving ministers with difficult choices if the system was to remain operational.

The Government has pledged to build 14,000 additional prison places by 2031.

A case that still resonates

PC Andrew Harper was killed in 2019 while responding to the theft of a quad bike in Berkshire. He became caught in a tow strap attached to a getaway vehicle and was dragged for more than a mile along a country road.

Driver Henry Long received a 16-year sentence and is not eligible for early release under the new scheme.

However, his accomplices Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who received shorter sentences, now qualify for release years earlier than many expected.

With legal action now looming and public anger continuing to grow, the Government faces an increasingly fierce battle over one of its most controversial criminal justice decisions.

SOURCE