The main perpetrator in the killing of police constable Andrew Harper “will not be subject to any early release”, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday.
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.
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.
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.
Speaking in Bath on Wednesday, Mr Burnham appeared to indicate the case could trigger a wider review of the policy to release prisoners early.
Referring to concerns from PC Harper’s family about early release of two of his killers, he said: “On the broader issue, 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.
“But I’ve spoken to the new Justice Secretary. He will review the policy together and make further statements in due course.”
PC Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, earlier told The Telegraph she had received a letter from the MoJ confirming their sentences might be reduced.
She said: “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.”
She added that “people are getting a free pass for crime” in the UK.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This was a horrific crime, and our deepest sympathies are with Pc Andrew Harper’s family and friends.
“In 2024, the country was facing a prison crisis and a total breakdown of law and order, with judges ordered to stop jailing dangerous criminals.
“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.”
The Government has insisted that the Act will not see early releases for offenders deemed “the most dangerous”, including those on extended determinate or life sentences.
