Prime Minister Andy Burnham has instructed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to find a method to exclude Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of PC Andrew Harper's manslaughter, from an early release scheme designed to alleviate prison overcrowding. The Prime Minister is reportedly "determined" to find a solution following pressure from PC Harper's family and police.
Cole and Bowers, who were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020, are currently scheduled for release in January, halfway through their sentences. Downing Street initially stated on Monday that exempting "one or two offenders" convicted of manslaughter was "not possible" under the existing scheme.
However, a government spokesperson later confirmed that the Justice Secretary would "work through further options" to keep "a greater number of the most serious offenders" incarcerated, specifically mentioning PC Harper's killers. Communities Secretary Angela Rayner stated that the Prime Minister has tasked the Justice Secretary with presenting a solution to Parliament in September.
PC Harper, 28, died in 2019 after being caught in a strap attached to a car as his killers fled a quad-bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. About 5,000 people are expected to be released early under recent sentencing changes, a reduction from 6,000 after exemptions for those convicted of rape, serious child sex offences, and grooming offences were announced.