𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A Police Federation chief has threatened to take the Government to court to stop PC Andrew Harper’s killers being released from prison early. Aileen O’Connor, who chairs the body that represents officers in the force in which PC Harper served, said the decision to release Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers would anger and demoralise serving officers in the area.

Thames Valley Police officer PC Harper, 28, was killed in August 2019 when responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.

Cole and Bowers remain eligible for early release after their convictions for manslaughter a year later. They were both given 13-year sentences and are eligible for release halfway through. While the Government announced on Monday that some crimes would be exempted, including rape, serious sexual abuse of children and grooming gang offences, other criminals are still due to be released earlier than scheduled.

The policy has been brought in as prison capacity has been put under severe strain, and fears that courts may not be able to jail offenders if the crisis continues. Ms O’Connor agreed and said she would “not forget the Government’s inexplicable and unforgivable decision to allow those who kill police officers to be released early from jail”.

She said: “We will throw everything at this through a proper legal challenge from KCs, barristers, you name it. Our colleagues will accept nothing less. We will do what we have to do to protect Andrew Harper’s legacy and other victims up and down the country who don’t have a platform to put their points across.”

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