Over 300,000 people have added their name to the ‘Justice For PC Andrew Harper’ petition on the day that the sentences will be announced for the three individuals responsible for his horrific death.
PC Andrew Harper was dragged for a distance of 1.4 miles behind a car that was being driven at an average speed of 42.5 mph.
Henry Long was driving the car. The thief had just raided a private property along with Jesse Cole and Albert Bowers.
The thieving trio had just stolen a £10,000 quad bike while being armed with various weapons, including an axe.
As their victim witnessed the three balaclava-clad men raid his property at around 23:00 hours, he called 999 and desperately asked for the help of the police.
PC Harper, along with his colleague, PC Andrew Shaw, had already worked several hours of overtime, helping the public and responding to 999 calls, when they took the call for help. They were only minutes away from their station.
PC Harper had married his childhood sweetheart only four weeks before his death and had been due to go on his honeymoon the week after he died.
Long, Bowers and Cole
PC Harper’s leg got caught in a crane strap that was being used to tow the stolen quad bike after he ran after Jesse Cole who had been steering the stolen vehicle.
Cole managed to jump into the Seat Toledo that was being driven by Long, and the three burglars took off as PC Harper was dragged behind them.
It was the case of the prosecution that Long, Cole and Bowers knew that PC Harper was being dragged behind their car as they did everything they could to escape from the scene of the burglary that they had just committed, as PC Harper and PC Shaw found them during their cowardly escape.
Long had previously told a PCSO that he would be willing to ‘ram a police car’ to escape from the police.
When Henry Long was charged with murder, his reply was: ‘I don’t give a f**k about any of this’.
When Long, Bowers and Cole were found not guilty of murder, they smiled and held the hands of each other as their families cheered.
Meanwhile, Lissie Harper, Andrew’s wife, broke down in tears.
Long, Bowers and Cole were then seen to laugh and joke with each other as they smiled at reporters before they were led away.
One of Long’s close relatives took to Facebook to share her family’s joy at the verdict.
In a public post, along with a picture of the three killers, was a caption that said simply: ‘Best news’ along with ‘free up the boys’.
One of Long’s relative shared a public post on her social media page after Long, Bowers and Cole were found not guilty of the murder of PC Andrew Harper
Both Andrew’s mum and Lissie have shared their disgust at the verdicts as it also transpired that one of the jurors had to be dismissed for being ‘overtly friendly’ with Andrew’s killers.
A court security officer spotted the female juror as she waved to the three convicted killers after the judge had finished summing up the case. As the jury was dismissed, the female juror in question said ‘bye boys’ as she walked past them.
Long, Bowers and Cole are due to be sentenced today. They were each convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper having denied murder.
The maximum sentence for manslaughter is life in prison.
PC Andrew Harper | Born 22nd March 1991 – died 15th August 2019 | #RIP
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They Took A Life so should be locked up for life and never see the light of day again. Scum of the earth
I want the 3 of them off this planet for ever.
absolutely utterly disgusted that these three boys are not going to spend their life in prison for ever and ever! What a way for a brave man to leave this life.
I think its time we got on top of all the Travellers to be honest. My stepmum got attacked by a horse on public land last year. The horse pinned her down to the floor and bit a piece of her leg away and stamped on her. When my stepmum tried to see if she could start legal proceedings she received death threats from Travellers and their associates who owned the horse. My stepmum was too afraid to try and take it any further.
Retrial of killers of pc Harper. It was murder
They should do life, they took a good mans life doing his job, thoughts to Lizzie and family, keep pushing for a judge that will give justice