By Ringleader in PC Harper death should have been jailed for life, court hears
The driver of a car that dragged PC Andrew Harper to his death should have been given a life sentence, a court has been told.
Henry Long was jailed for 16 years and Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers for 13 years in July over the death of the Thames Valley Police officer.
However Long, the leader of the three teenagers who killed Pc Andrew Harper, should have been given a life sentence, the Attorney General Suella Braverman has told the Court of Appeal today (Monday).
Pc Harper, 28, was caught in a crane strap attached to the back of a car driven by Long as the trio fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire in August last year.
Long admitted Pc Harper’s manslaughter, while Cole and Bowers, both passengers in the car, were convicted of manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey.
All three were cleared of Pc Harper’s murder by the jury.
Today the Attorney General told Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Holroyde and Mr Justice William Davis that Long’s 16-year jail term did not reflect “the seriousness of the offence” and was “contrary to the interests of justice”.
Mrs Braverman also argued that the sentencing judge “accorded too great a reduction” to Bowers and Coles’ sentences “for their age and learning difficulties”, according to The Sun.
She told the court: “Pc Harper paid the ultimate price for his bravery and this should be reflected in the sentence.”
Also today, lawyers representing the trio will apply for permission to appeal against the length of their sentences, arguing that they were “manifestly excessive”.
At their trial, the defence claimed the incident was a “freak event” that none of them could have foreseen.
The hearing is expected to last all day and it is not known if the court will give a ruling today or at a later date.
PC Harper’s wife Lissie, who wed her childhood sweetheart four weeks before his death, has joined his mum Debbie Adlam in a campaign called Andrew’s Law, calling for a “mandatory” 20-year minimum prison sentence for those convicted of killing police officers.
The case continues.
Photo: Left to right, Henry Long, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers (Thames Valley Police)
