PC Harper Killers Become Eligible for Early Release After Serving 6.5 Years
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 8
PC Harper Killers Become Eligible for Early Release After Serving 6.5 Years
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 8
Summary
Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were left in an early-release scheme despite a government review, making them eligible for release after serving half of their 13-year manslaughter terms.
The decision stems from measures to ease prison overcrowding: ministers excluded about 1,000 inmates from a plan covering roughly 6,000 prisoners, but not the two teenagers convicted over PC Andrew Harper's 2019 death.
Lissie Harper called the outcome "disgraceful and disgusting," Andrew Harper's mother said she was "devastated," and a petition opposing their release has drawn more than 750,000 signatures.
Harper, 28, was dragged for more than a mile behind a car while responding to a burglary in Berkshire; driver Henry Long got 16 years and is not eligible for early release.
The case has remained politically potent since it led to Harper's Law, which mandates life sentences for killing emergency workers during crimes, and critics say the release test now challenges Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government.
Why are the killers who inspired a mandatory life sentence law now walking free years before their time is up?
Will a massive petition of 750,000 signatures be enough to stop the controversial release of police killers?
How does the government define dangerous if dragging an officer to his death qualifies an inmate for early release?
The 2026 Early Release Controversy: How Prison Overcrowding Is Letting PC Harper’s Killers Walk Free
Overview
In response to a severe prison overcrowding crisis, the UK government passed the Sentencing Act 2026, lowering the threshold for early release and making thousands of prisoners, including Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers—the killers of PC Andrew Harper—eligible for release after serving only half their sentences. Although a new law now mandates life sentences for killing emergency workers, it does not apply retroactively to their case. The announcement of their early release sparked public outrage, a massive petition, and legal challenges from police and victims’ groups. To manage risks, the government introduced extra victim support and stricter probation, but concerns remain about public safety and trust in the justice system.