Thames Valley Police chief considers legal action over PC Harper killers' early release

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg has said he is considering joining legal action to block the early release of two men convicted of manslaughter in the death of PC Andrew Harper. The government’s early release scheme, due to begin in October, could see Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers freed after serving half of their 13-year sentences.

PC Harper, 28, died in August 2019 after being dragged by a car while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Cole and Bowers, both passengers in the car, were sentenced in 2020. The driver, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and is not eligible for early release.

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Public and police opposition

Hogg told the BBC he was in discussions with the Police Federation about potential legal action. He described public opinion on the potential release of Cole and Bowers as "overwhelming" and said he believed confidence in the criminal justice system could be damaged.

PC Harper’s widow, Lissie Harper, said she felt "punched in the gut" by the government’s decision. She backed a petition, which has gathered over 150,000 signatures in 24 hours, demanding the government reverse its position. "Justice should mean justice and serving the sentence given," she said, as reported by *The Standard*.

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“Government has punched us in the gut… they should be ashamed of themselves. Hopefully we can make the current Government come to their senses and realise we cannot put people like this back on our streets.”

Lissie Harper, widow of PC Andrew Harper

Aileen O’Connor, chair of the Thames Valley Police Federation, said releasing Cole and Bowers would anger and demoralise serving officers. She told *The Sun* the federation would "throw everything" at a legal challenge, including senior barristers.

Government defends scheme

Justice Minister Jake Richards said it would be unlawful to exempt individual cases from the early release scheme. "It would be wrong to pick out individual cases within different offending cohorts," he told the BBC. "That wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be lawful either."

Richards confirmed that manslaughter was not among the offences excluded from the scheme. The government has exempted only those convicted of rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences. Approximately 5,000 prisoners will be released early in ten batches starting in October, down from an initial estimate of 6,000.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris apologised to families affected by the scheme but said the government had to act to prevent prisons reaching capacity in November. "We have to make this decision," he said. "We’ve been able to make some changes to it, but we cannot have the prison system collapsing."

What happens next

Hogg said he would seek legal advice before deciding whether to join the Police Federation’s potential challenge. The federation is exploring a judicial review to block the release of Cole and Bowers. The first batch of early releases is scheduled for October.

Those released under the scheme will face stricter probation conditions, including electronic monitoring, random drug testing, and possible bans on driving or attending events. The government has not specified which historical child sex offences will be excluded from early release, prompting calls for clarification from victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman.