PC Harper's killers to stay in jail as PM updates release scheme

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has informed the BBC that the individuals responsible for killing PC Andrew Harper will remain incarcerated, following his announcement of significant changes to the early release scheme designed to address prison overcrowding.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with BBC Breakfast, Burnham stated that anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including manslaughter, will be barred from the scheme. This policy shift ensures that two of the officers killers, who previously stood to benefit, will stay behind bars.

The 28-year-old officer lost his life in Berkshire in 2019 while responding to a burglary, where he was dragged along a road by a vehicle as three teenagers fled a quad bike theft. His family and former colleagues have campaigned for months to prevent his killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, from securing early release under the upcoming October 1 rollout.

Burnham acknowledged that the announcement will keep hundreds more individuals in prison, requiring additional capacity within a penal system in England and Wales that is currently running at over 97% capacity. To generate space, the government plans to scrap Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences, known as IPPs, which were handed down between 2005 and 2012.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Ministry of Justice records show that 2,271 individuals remain under IPP sentences as of June, with 856 never released due to ongoing Parole Board safety concerns. Legislation to terminate these indefinite sentences will be introduced by the end of the current parliamentary session, alongside powers early next year to immediately deport foreign offenders following sentencing.

Alongside manslaughter, the prime minister confirmed that prisoners convicted of indecent assault, death by dangerous driving, historic child sex offences, and causing the death of a child will also be exempt from early release. New restriction zones will additionally protect domestic violence survivors from released perpetrators.

Cole and Bowers received 13-year sentences for manslaughter in 2020, while getaway driver Henry Long was handed an extended 16-year sentence. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp previously criticized the administration for repeatedly reversing policies, arguing it re-traumatizes victims and their families.

Source: BBC Politics