Burnham directs Norris to find legislative route to exclude PC Harper’s killers from early release

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has directed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to identify mechanisms to prevent Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers from benefiting from the government’s prison overcrowding initiative. The instruction follows intensifying pressure from PC Andrew Harper’s family, law enforcement agencies, and a petition garnering nearly 900,000 signatures, demanding that the pair remain incarcerated.

Cole and Bowers were sentenced to 13 years for the manslaughter of PC Harper, who was fatally dragged by a vehicle in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019. Under current provisions of the Sentencing Act passed earlier this year, the offenders are scheduled for release in January after serving half of their terms. The prime minister is expected to present a legislative solution to parliament in September.

Downing Street initially maintained that it was not feasible to exempt specific individuals from the scheme. However, the government subsequently confirmed that Norris would explore options to retain a greater number of serious offenders behind bars. A government spokesperson stated the prime minister had asked the justice secretary to work through further options to keep the killers of PC Harper in prison.

Communities Secretary Angela Rayner affirmed the government’s determination to resolve the impasse. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Rayner outlined potential alternatives to manage prison capacity, including accelerating the deportation of foreign criminals, reviewing indefinite sentences, and examining the terms served by female prisoners. She emphasised that the prime minister would not accept a systemic refusal to address the concerns of victims’ families.

Prison Service officials have cautioned that excluding manslaughter convicts from the early release scheme would necessitate further early releases within 18 months to maintain operational capacity. Additionally, prison governors have warned that the haste in recalculating sentences for previously exempted groups, such as those convicted of rape and serious child sex offences, risks mistaken early releases. The third man involved, vehicle driver Henry Long, received a 16-year extended determinate sentence and is ineligible for the scheme.

Approximately 5,000 people are now expected to be released early under the sentencing changes, a reduction from the initial estimate of 6,000 following an urgent review. The early release provisions were introduced to alleviate severe overcrowding, but the specific case of PC Harper has highlighted the tension between administrative necessity and public demand for justice.