‘Not possible’ for Burnham to block early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers despite fury, says Downing Street

IT is “not possible” for Andy Burnham to block the release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers, Downing Street has said, despite growing anger around the early release scheme. The government would reportedly face legal challenges if it tried to block the release of Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole halfway through their 13-year jail terms. PC Andrew Harper’s widow says she is ‘disgusted’ his killers are going to be freed Credit: PA Harper was just 28 years old when he was killed Credit: Refer to Caption New PM Andy Burnham is reportedly opposed to the early release of the pair under Labour plans to let out up to 5,000 prisoners over ten months from October. After stopping some 1,000 rapists and child sex offenders from being let loose onto the streets last week Mr Burnham said he had reached “the very limits of what is possible.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! A government source has since told The Times however that Mr Burnham is prepared “explore every option” to keep Bowers and Cole behind bars. According to the publication, the government has already ruled out exempting the killers of emergency workers from early release. Albert Bowers, who was jailed for manslaughter, is set to get early release Credit: PA Jessie Cole, also jailed for manslaughter, will get early release too Credit: PA The planned exemption is understood to have been described as a “complete non-starter.” It was decided that the planned change to the scheme would be subject to a legal challenge. And, because there is no specific offence of manslaughter of an emergency worker the case would be tough to win for the government. Downing Street has said it is “not possible” to exempt “one or two offenders” convicted of manslaughter from early release as pressure builds to keep PC Harper’s killers locked up. Most read in The Sun Today, Mr Burnham’s official spokesman said manslaughter of an emergency worker was “not a standalone offence” and it was “not possible to simply exclude one or two offenders” within the wider category of manslaughter. Asked whether ministers were accepting the situation as it stands, the spokesman said: “I think you’ve seen from the Prime Minister’s words that he’s far from accepting the situation and as he wrote last week he wants to go even further. “He’s pushed hard on what more we could do and his focus now is on fixing the prison system long term to avoid a repeat of this prison crisis so that it never happens again.” There are 950 prisoners serving sentences for manslaughter in the UK with hundreds of them set to be released under Labour’s scheme. Former detective superintendent at Thames Valley police, Stuart Blaik, suggested those more culpable under manslaughter laws be barred from early release. Cases of manslaughter are categorised in three culpability ratings, A, B and C. Attempting to block PC Harper’s killers’ early release could leave the government open to legal challenges Credit: Crown Copyright Andrew Harper’s killers are two of just 950 lags locked up for manslaughter in the UK Credit: PA In response to the fury around the potential release of Bowers and Cole, Blaik suggested offenders in the two most severe categories of manslaughter be barred from early release. But officials shot down this plan too, saying judges did not always include culpability ratings in their sentences – making it hard to determine who would be eligible for Labour’s early release scheme. PC Harper’s furious widow Lissie Harper, 35, previously said it was “disgusting” that her late husband’s killers could get out early. She said: “What abhorrent message does this send? “How dare ministers say the killing of a police officer isn’t enough of a ‘sickening crime’ that deserves the stiffest of punishments. “Andrew’s killers have shown no remorse. To release them early from their already pitiful sentences is an affront to justice. “The Government and justice system have not just let me down, they have added insult to injury. “This is an utter betrayal, one I will not be able to forgive or forget.” In 2019 PC Harper, 28, was fatally dragged by a car driven by Henry Long, 18, as it towed a stolen quad bike. Long, Bowers and Cole, then 17, were found guilty of manslaughter. The younger pair got 13 years’ jail, Long got 16 and will stay in prison. Tiff Lynch, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, branded the pairs release as “deeply disappointing” and “impossible to justify”. Freeing the two prisoners early “gravely risks undermining not only public safety but public confidence”, Lynch added. The decision has also come under fire from Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg’s, who described the decision as “demoralising” for emergency service workers. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The death of PC Andrew Harper was a horrific crime. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and we share the anger from the police community that we are in this position. “We have been clear that we wanted to block more offenders from getting out sooner into their sentence but could not do so without risking prisons reaching capacity and collapsing. “If that happened, police could not make arrests, courts could not remand offenders and there would be unchecked criminality on our streets.” Comment now