Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that anyone convicted of unlawful killing will be barred from an early release scheme designed to ease prison overcrowding, ensuring that the two men convicted of killing PC Andrew Harper remain behind bars.
Burnham stated that "hundreds" of prisoners will be kept in custody under the revised framework.
"We've come up with a proposal which will allow not just those guilty of manslaughter, the people involved in the killing of PC Harper, but those who have been convicted for indecent assault, those convicted for death by dangerous driving, all of these offenders now will remain in prison. Hundreds of them,"he told the BBC.
The prime minister acknowledged the intensity of public feeling around the case.
"I heard obviously what Andrew Harper's family were saying. I mean who couldn't? Nobody would want a position to arise where those guilty of killing a police officer are let out early from prison."
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020 following Harper's death. According to reporting on the government's response, the two men would have become eligible for release next year under the scheme as originally announced. The government has since ordered the justice secretary to find a way to bar them from early release entirely.
How did PC Harper die?
On 15 August 2019, Harper, aged 28, was killed while responding to a burglary in Berkshire. He was dragged down a country road by a car as Cole, Bowers and their accomplice Henry Long fled the scene of a quad bike theft. All three were convicted of manslaughter in 2020. The driver of the vehicle, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and was not eligible for early release under the scheme.
What changes have been made to the early release scheme?
The prime minister said extra space in prisons would be created by deporting foreign prisoners and releasing some prisoners serving indefinite sentences. The Ministry of Justice's updated exclusions initially covered rape, serious child sexual offences, grooming offences and conspiracy to commit them, while manslaughter remained included. The new changes now extend those exclusions to include all convictions for unlawful killing.
Burnham ordered a review of the scheme, which is being undertaken by Justice Secretary Alex Norris and is set to be published when parliament returns from summer recess in September. The announcement follows widespread condemnation when it emerged that Cole and Bowers could be released halfway through their sentences under the original framework.
The broader early release scheme had already been subject to significant scrutiny. Fifty police chiefs had written to the prime minister demanding every legal option be used to stop the early release of Harper's killers, and PC Harper's mother said the proposed scheme amounted to another letdown as ministers faced scrutiny over prison overcrowding plans.
What happens next?
The justice secretary is expected to bring forward changes to the early release rules to exclude Harper's killers and other serious offenders. Prisoners affected by the broader scheme are due to begin release from October, after the government delayed the original timetable. The prime minister said he was "confident" the scheme could be adapted to achieve the government's objectives.
Key Facts:
- Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers will be excluded from early release after being convicted of manslaughter in the death of PC Andrew Harper in August 2019
- The revised scheme will also exclude those convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences, grooming offences, indecent assault and death by dangerous driving
- About 1,000 fewer prisoners will be released early overall following the changes announced by the prime minister
- The scheme is set to restart in October after a pause and review by the Justice Secretary
