'Makes me feel sick!' PC Andrew Harper's mother says 'it's an insult' to let his killers out of prison seven years early

The 28-year-old officer was dragged by a towrope for over a mile along rural roads, sustaining fatal injuries

PC Andrew Harper's mother has condemned the prospect of the early release of her son's killers, branding it "an insult beyond anything to put into words".

It comes as two of the men convicted of killing PC Harper could be up for early release under the Ministry of Justice's scheme to address prison overcrowding.

Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both sentenced to 13 years in 2020 for manslaughter, could walk free at the halfway point of their terms rather than serving two-thirds.

PC Harper's mother, Debbie Adlam, received a letter from the MoJ acknowledging the news "may be difficult" given "the lasting impact the offence may have had on you".

In response to the news, the mother told the Daily Telegraph: "It makes me feel sick. Andrew’s life doesn’t get to come back.”

"Any reduction makes a mockery of sentencing. It’s a gift for prisoners to be let out early. The cost is to us, the victims, and then the public, who they become a risk to, potentially.

“If you are given a sentence for a crime, you should be serving that sentence. They have put themselves in for their actions.

“If they were to be let out early, there would be another outcry. The public are very much behind keeping them in and Andrew being remembered for the right reasons.

“The thought of those responsible for killing Andrew being released from prison already really impacts my thoughts and worries me for the future. The thought of them getting an early release is just unthinkable.”

The 28-year-old officer had responded to reports of a quad bike theft in August 2019 when his ankles became entangled in a towrope loop trailing from the suspects' vehicle.

He was dragged for over a mile along rural roads, sustaining fatal injuries.

Bowers and Cole, both 17 at the time, were passengers in the car, with driver Henry Long having received a 16-year sentence and not qualifying for the early release programme.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham today confirmed that Mr Long “will not be subject to any early release”.

Mrs Adlam added: “We do not have an end date for the loss of Andrew in such a horrifying manner. Learning to live without him is the hardest thing I’ve ever lived with and will live with for the rest of my life."

She recalled the pair celebrating as they entered the court during their trial, adding: “Can you imagine how it makes me feel to know how they will be celebrating if they get out early?”

The mother says she has not “received anything to indicate remorse” from her son’s killers or their family.

“The justice system needs to think of the victims – and there are many of us who have had a bomb thrown into our lives through what happened to Andrew," she said.

“They need to get a grip of the prisons and where it’s going wrong. Above all, think of Andrew and how he would feel about the early release. I know how he would feel.

“People are getting a free pass for crime in this country. I like to try to be proud of my country, but this isn’t something to be proud of. There’s a lot going wrong.

“Why would you want to be a police officer in this climate?”

The case provoked widespread outrage and prompted a campaign spearheaded by Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, who had married the officer just weeks before his death.

"Harper's Law" subsequently introduced mandatory life sentences for those who kill emergency workers during the commission of a crime, which Labour backed at the time.

The early release scheme is due to become operational in September and is projected to result in the early release of more than 5,000 offenders over the subsequent 10 months, including some 2,500 rapists and paedophiles that could qualify.

Nearly 9,000 victims of serious violent or sexual offences have already been notified that their attackers may be released early.

A Government spokesman said: "This government is committed to public safety: we are building prison places at the fastest rate since the Victorian era, and taking the difficult decisions needed to lock up the most dangerous offenders.”