PM expands early release exclusions to keep PC Harper killers in jail

After weeks of public pressure, the Prime Minister has expanded the list of offences excluded from the prison early release scheme, meaning the two men convicted of killing PC Andrew Harper will not be freed early. Andy Burnham announced that anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, will now be barred from the scheme in England and Wales. The change also covers those convicted of indecent assault, death by dangerous or drink driving, causing or allowing the death of a child, and historical child sex offences.

The early release scheme was designed to ease severe overcrowding in prisons, which are running at about 98% capacity. Around 5,000 prisoners were due to be released early from October. The government had already excluded murderers, rapists and serious child sex offenders. But the case of PC Harper's killers, Albert Bowers and Jesse Cole, became the focus of a national outcry. PC Harper was killed in 2019 when he was dragged behind a getaway car while responding to a theft. Bowers and Cole were given 13-year sentences for manslaughter and were due to be released in January after serving half their time. The driver, Henry Long, is serving a life sentence and was not eligible.

A petition against their release gathered more than a million signatures. Police chiefs across the UK wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to use every lawful option to keep them in jail. PC Harper's mother, Debbie Adlam, said the campaign had been exhausting and that the family had been left in limbo. She welcomed the change but said there was no joy in it.

To make room for the extra prisoners who will now stay inside, the government says it will deport more foreign criminals, create new cells in existing prisons, and end the controversial indefinite sentences known as imprisonment for public protection (IPP). More than 2,000 people are serving IPP sentences, and ending them will require legislation. Critics have warned that releasing IPP prisoners could put the public at risk, and that deporting foreign offenders is slow and depends on agreements with other countries.

The changes have not satisfied everyone. Domestic abuse offenders are still eligible for early release, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner said victims and survivors would still be forced to protect themselves from dangerous abusers. The Conservatives accused Andy Burnham of changing his position repeatedly, saying it was his fifth different stance on early release since becoming Prime Minister. Probation officers have also voted in favour of potential strike action in protest at the scheme. The Justice Secretary is due to present the full plan to Parliament when MPs return on Tuesday.