Andy Burnham has launched a new effort to block the early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers by asking his Justice Secretary to draw up plans to prevent their freedom.
The Prime Minister, despite admitting defeat over the matter earlier today, is said to be “increasingly confident” that a “solution” can worked out.
Downing Street has admitted it was “not possible” to exempt “one or two offenders” convicted of manslaughter from the early release scheme earlier today.
No10 insisted Prime Minister Andy Burnham is “far from accepting the situation” but seemingly moved away from the prospect of an imminent carve-out to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers behind bars.
Cole and Bowers, who were jailed for 13 years each for killing PC Andrew Harper in 2019, are among the prisoners who are set to be set free early as new Government plans come into play, releasing 5,000 criminals prematurely over a 10-month period.
The plans were put forward as a way of tackling overcrowding in prisons.
A senior Government source told GB News this evening that the Prime Minister has been “holding daily calls on this for the past week how to resolve” the issue.
It remains unclear how the Government will prevent Cole and Bowers release, with two proposals already being rejected by Mr Burnham.
GB News understands Mr Burnham has been taking ‘daily calls’ to resolve the issue
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Under the draft proposals, all prisoners sentences to more than 10 years or more than seven years, would be exempt from the early release scheme.
This would mean Cole and Bowers would stay in prison.
However, the Prime Minister, following a review, decided early release would not apply to those convicted of rape, serious child sex offences and other grooming offences, following fierce backlash from victims of sexual assaults.
The change in the scheme meant PC Harper’s killers remained eligible for early release.
PC Andrew Harper was killed on August 15 in 2019
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A Government spokesman said this evening: “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 was killed after investigating the theft of a £10,000 quad bike in August 2019.
Bowers and Cole, then 17, alongside Henry Long, 18, tried to escape in a car in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.
PC Harper’s ankles were caught in the car’s tow rope and he was dragged along the road at 43mph for over a mile.
Cole and Bowers were both handed a 13-year sentence for manslaughter.
Their co-defendant, Long, received a 16-year sentence, but would not be eligible to walk free this year under the scheme.
As Cole and Bowers have served half their sentence, they would be eligible for early release under Labour’s plans.
The prospect of their release sparked outrage among the public and police, with almost 900,000 people signing a petition demanding they stay behind bars.
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