Burnham to review early release policy amid concerns from family of PC Harper

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will review the early prisoner release policy amid concerns from the family of police officer Andrew Harper.

While he could not say he will “change the policy completely” he pledged to look at it “in detail” before it proceeds.

The constable’s mother said it feels like an “insult” that two of her son’s killers may be eligible for early release from prison.

The driver of the vehicle which caused Pc Harper’s death, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence, and will not be eligible for the scheme.

Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were passengers in the car and both 17 years old at the time, were handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2020.

Both men might be eligible to be released from prison halfway through their sentences, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed.

Pc Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.

He died after getting caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a country road as three teenage suspects fled the scene of the burglary.

Speaking in Bath, Mr Burnham said: “I feel for the family, it’s an appalling crime that was committed.

“The main perpetrator will not be subject to any early release. Of course, others involved have potentially been identified.”

He appeared to indicate the case could trigger a wider review of the policy to release prisoners early.

“But I’ve spoken to the new justice secretary. We will review the policy together and make further statements in due course.”

He later added: “All I can say is I will review the whole of this policy.”

The pressure on prison places stemming from a lack of investment has created an “unacceptable situation”, he added.

“But I want to assure myself that everything has been looked at before this policy proceeds, and I can give that assurance that every single part of this I will look into with the Justice Secretary.

“I can’t say that I can change the policy completely, but I will look at it in detail before we go further forward.”

Under the new Sentencing Act, set to come into force in September, some 6,000 criminals are set to be released under the early prison release scheme.

The Government has so far failed to rule out whether killers, rapists and paedophiles will be exempt from the scheme.

Pc Harper’s mother Debbie Adlam said she had received a letter from the MoJ warning that Bowers and Cole could be set free early.

She told The Telegraph: “It makes me feel sick. Andrew’s life doesn’t get to come back. It feels like a slap in the face and an insult.”

Published: 22/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub