Burnham reviews prisoner release plans after Harper row
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered a review of plans to free thousands of offenders early, after the family of PC Andrew Harper protested that two of his killers may qualify. The Sentencing Act could see about 6,000 people, including some violent prisoner cases, released on tags from September amid a jail overcrowding crisis.
Key Takeaways
- Burnham will examine the early release policy with Justice Secretary Alex Norris before it proceeds.
- Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of manslaughter over PC Harper's death, may be eligible halfway through 13-year sentences.
- Driver Henry Long, jailed for 16 years, will not qualify for early release, Burnham said.
- Around 6,000 offenders could be freed under the Sentencing Act from September to ease prison overcrowding.
- Victim groups welcomed the review; prison reformers warn scrapping the scheme risks system collapse.
Burnham's pledge followed outrage from PC Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, and mother Debbie Adlam after reports that Cole and Bowers might leave jail early. Follow related coverage in our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries section.
Why is Burnham reviewing the early release scheme?
Speaking to reporters, Burnham said he would "review the whole of this policy" with the justice secretary. He could not promise a full U-turn but vowed to look at "every single part" before going further.
New sentencing laws passed under Keir Starmer's government were designed to ease a looming overcrowding crisis. Officials have warned that without early releases, prisons in England and Wales could run out of capacity by November or Christmas.
According to The Guardian, under the Act some serious offenders become eligible halfway through their sentences rather than after two-thirds. Less serious offenders may leave after a third instead of 40%.
Could PC Harper's killers leave prison early?
PC Harper, 28, died in August 2019 after being dragged behind a getaway car while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Cole and Bowers, then 17 and passengers in the vehicle, received 13 years for manslaughter.
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed both might be eligible for release halfway through their sentences. Burnham said the "main perpetrator," driver Henry Long, who received 16 years, would not be subject to early release.
Lissie Harper, who campaigned for Harper's Law to toughen sentences for killing emergency workers, said cross-party support "feels forgotten." She called early prisoner release "deplorable" and said victims' families need sentences to mean what judges impose.
Debbie Adlam said a letter from the MoJ confirming possible sentence reductions made her "feel sick" and like "a slap in the face."
What do critics and reformers say about the plan?
The Police Federation of England & Wales called the prospect "disgusting." Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber urged emergency legislation to block the men's early release.
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the scheme "allows rapists and serious criminals out of prison early and it must be urgently cancelled."
Andrea Coomber of the Howard League for Penal Reform warned the system is "on the verge of collapsing under its own weight." Nacro's Enver Solomon said prisons must not be allowed to fill up again.
Victim Support's Katie Kempen said most victims currently have no way of knowing whether an offender could be released early, and that must change. An MoJ spokesperson said the government is building prison places "at the fastest rate since the Victorian era" while taking hard decisions to lock up the most dangerous offenders.