Pc Harper killers to stay jailed after government finds legal route

The killers of Pc Andrew Harper will not be released early from prison, Communities Minister Sally Jameson confirmed on Tuesday. The government has identified a legal route to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers behind bars, despite earlier statements from Downing Street that exempting individual offenders was not possible.

Jameson told Times Radio that the Justice Secretary would "find a way" to prevent the early release of Cole and Bowers, who were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020. She added that a solution had already been identified, though she did not provide further details.

Government reverses stance on exemptions

Downing Street had previously ruled out exempting Cole and Bowers from early release measures introduced to ease prison overcrowding. A spokesperson said on Monday that it was "not possible" to exclude "one or two offenders" from the scheme, which applies to those convicted of manslaughter.

However, Prime Minister Andy Burnham later instructed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to explore options to keep "a greater number of the most serious offenders" in prison. A government spokesperson said Burnham had asked Norris to include Pc Harper’s killers in these measures.

Public pressure and legal challenges

The government’s reversal follows intense public pressure, including a petition signed by over 880,000 people demanding that Cole and Bowers remain in prison. Pc Harper’s family and police groups had also campaigned against their early release.

Pc Harper, 28, was killed in August 2019 after being dragged by a car while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter in 2020 and were due to be released halfway through their sentences under the early release scheme.

Prison overcrowding measures

The early release scheme was introduced as part of the Sentencing Act passed earlier this year to address prison overcrowding. The government initially planned to release 6,000 offenders early but reduced this to 5,000 after exempting those convicted of rape, serious child sex offences, and grooming offences.

Jameson said the government was exploring further options to reduce overcrowding, including potential changes to women’s prison capacity. Offenders released early will face stricter probation conditions, such as electronic monitoring and random drug testing.

What happens next

The Justice Secretary is expected to announce the legal mechanism for blocking the early release of Cole and Bowers in the coming weeks. It remains unclear whether the solution will apply only to Pc Harper’s killers or to a broader category of serious offenders.