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PC Andrew Harper's Killers' Sentences Will Not Be Increased

PC Andrew Harper's Killers' Sentences Will Not Be Increased

It has been confirmed the sentences will not change.

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

The sentences handed to PC Andrew Harper's killers will not be changed, it has been confirmed.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed challenges on both sides after Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years in prison while 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were handed 13 years, after PC Harper was killed in August 2019.

The killers' sentences will not change (
PA)

While the Attorney General appealed to have the manslaughter sentences increased, the killers sought to have them reduced.

Last month Attorney General Suella Braverman argued the sentences should be increased for what was "as serious a case of manslaughter as it is possible to envisage".

Meanwhile, the trio's lawyers argued the sentences were too long. The ruling was given this morning that they would not be changed.

PC Harper was just 28 years old and newly married when he tragically lost his life.

Despite the police officer's shift having ended four hours earlier, Andrew - who was on his way home when he heard about a group of "masked men with weapons" trying to break into a property - decided to attend one last job with his colleague.

The killers' sentences will not be changed (
PA)

It was there he discovered that Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole had stolen a £10,000 Honda quad bike from a property in Berkshire.

As they drove off, they came face-to-face with Andrew. In a devastating twist, as PC Harper left his vehicle and tried to apprehend Cole, he stepped into the vehicle's tow rope, and became lassoed to the getaway car as it sped off into the darkness for over a mile.

Despite all three teenagers claiming they were unaware that Andrew was attached to the vehicle, at the trial the prosecution argued that it would have been obvious. Andrew, who was 6ft, weighed 14 stone.

At the trial in July, all three were acquitted of murder.

Lissie Harper spoke at the hearing last month (
Family Handout)

Speaking at a hearing last month, Andrew's wife Lissie Harper said: "I stand before you with my heart as heavy as it was those many months ago when I stood feeling let down and angry outside of the Old Bailey.

"Yet today I feel pride in myself for not settling for something that I see as unacceptable. Proud to fight for my heroic husband Andrew, as I also continue to push for the safety and justice of his fellow emergency service protectors in the future.

"Today has been as harrowing as you can all expect, however we leave this court with at least a sense of balance.

"Reaching a step closer to a fair outcome is something that I have strived towards for a long time. We have all hoped and prayed that our beloved boy's death will not go improperly unpunished.

"So we continue with our agonising battle for justice, a journey that we have had to endure for too long."

This year, Lissie set up Harper's Law, a campaign calling for a sentence of life imprisonment to be handed to those who kill a member of the emergency services.

It would mean anyone found guilty of killing a police officer, firefighter, nurse, doctor, prison officer or paramedic would automatically be jailed for life. You can sign the petition for Harper's Law here.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News