Two Convicted Killers of PC Andrew Harper Eligible for Early Release Under Overcrowding Scheme

Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, convicted in 2020 of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, became eligible for release after serving half their 13-year sentences under the government's early release scheme, The Independent reported. The scheme allows some prisoners to serve 40 percent of their terms in custody instead of 50 percent to address overcrowding.

PC Harper, a 28-year-old traffic officer with Thames Valley Police, died in 2019 after he was caught in a strap attached to a car and dragged along a road in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, while responding to a quad bike theft.

Henry Long, then 19, received a 16-year sentence for his role in the crime, while Bowers and Cole, both 18 at sentencing, each received 13 years. Debbie Adlam, the officer's mother, received a letter from the Ministry of Justice stating that the sentences could be reduced.

She described the prospect of early release as an “insult beyond anything able to be put into words” and said it made her feel sick, adding that Andrew’s life does not get to come back.

PC Harper had married Lissie Harper one month before his death. She later campaigned for Harper’s Law, which requires life sentences for the manslaughter of on-duty emergency workers, and received an MBE in 2022. A memorial stone for the officer was unveiled in Reading in April.

The government projects the prison population will reach between 98,000 and 103,600 by March 2030. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the country faced a prison crisis in 2024 that forced judges to stop jailing some dangerous criminals and that the government is now building prison places at the fastest rate since the Victorian era.