Thirteen Members of Parliament from the Thames Valley, representing all three major political parties, have written to the Prime Minister. Their letter urges him to ensure that Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, remain in jail.
The politicians welcomed Andy Burnham's public opposition to the potential release of Cole and Bowers. They argue that individuals who kill an emergency worker while committing a crime should be excluded from an early release scheme designed to alleviate prison overcrowding.
PC Harper, 28, died in 2019 after being dragged behind a getaway car during a quad bike theft in Berkshire. Cole and Bowers were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020 and are set to become eligible for release in January, having served half of their sentences, under recent changes to the Sentencing Act.
Signatories to the letter include Freddie Van Mierlo MP, whose constituency covers Harper's home town of Wallingford, and Layla Moran MP, who represents Abingdon, where Harper was based. Former minister Olivia Bailey, MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, also signed the letter. Mr Van Mierlo stated that PC Harper's "terrible death was felt most keenly by our constituents, and I know just how much hurt the potential for their release is causing."
The MPs' letter was sent on the same day that 50 police chiefs also wrote to Andy Burnham, stating he must pursue "every legal option" to prevent the early release of Harper's killers. Mr Burnham has asked his justice secretary to fast-track a plan for Parliament next month to create more "headroom" in the prison system, but noted it was "simply not possible to prevent all offenders from being released early without the prison system collapsing."