- Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020, and the Prime Minister has asked the Justice Secretary to find a way to keep them in jail.
- Burnham is confident a solution can be found to remove Cole and Bowers from the government's early release plan.
- Justice Secretary Alex Norris will set out 'in due course' how the government will exclude Cole and Bowers from early release.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has tasked his justice secretary with finding a way to keep the killers of PC Andrew Harper in prison, amid concerns over their eligibility for early release.2
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020, are set to become eligible for release next January after serving half their sentences due to changes in the Sentencing Act.1
The Prime Minister's directive comes as Downing Street indicated that excluding specific offenders from early release might be challenging. A government spokesperson stated, "The prime minister has asked the Justice Secretary to work through further options to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of PC Harper."
PC Harper, 28, tragically lost his life in 2019 when he was dragged behind a getaway car during a quad bike theft in Berkshire.
Burnham expressed confidence that a solution could be found to prevent Cole and Bowers from benefiting from the early release scheme, which is intended to alleviate prison overcrowding. A source revealed that Justice Secretary Alex Norris would outline the government's approach to this issue in the near future.3
“Burnham is confident a solution can be found to remove Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020, from the government plan. A source said Justice Secretary Alex Norris would set out 'in due course' how they would be excluded.”
