Andrew Harper, a police constable with Thames Valley police, disappeared from view suddenly, “like a waterskier coming off the rope”, as his partner that night later described it. They had been off duty when a call about three young men stealing a quad bike nearby had come in, but attended anyway. They caught up with the gang, one of whom – in order to make a speedier getaway – was unhooking the bike they had been towing with a car as Harper got out of the police car to try to apprehend him. The thief dived through the gang’s car window and it drove off. The tow rope caught Harper by the feet. He was dragged a mile, and to his death.
Presented by Sir Trevor McDonald in full sonorous voice mode, The Killing of PC Harper: A Widow’s Fight for Justice (ITV) recaps the terrible story, which dominated headlines in 2019.
