The mother of the brave and heroic police officer who was killed by three thieves as they tried to steal a £10,000 quad bike, has spoken out after a petition that was set up to try and get the verdict overturned reached nearly 150k signatures.
PC Andrew Harper was killed after he was dragged for 1.4 miles behind a car at an average speed of 42.5 mph.
Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jesse Cole have been found guilty of manslaughter after the newlywed officer got caught in a crane strop that was being used to tow a quad bike.
Henry Long, driving the Seat Toledo that was used to drag PC Harper to his death, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but pleaded not guilty to murder.
Cole and Bowers pleaded guilty to theft but pleaded not guilty to manslaughter after the three thieves, armed with various weapons, carried out a raid on a secluded farmhouse.
The three convicted killers hugged each other and smiled when the jury delivered their verdicts as Lissie, PC Harper’s wife, broke down in tears.
PC Harper was due to go on his long-awaited honeymoon the week after he died.
Various images of PC Harper’s killers appeared in the mainstream media after they were photographed ‘laughing’ and ‘joking’ with each other shortly after the verdict was delivered.
Even as the jury heard the gruesome details about the horrific injuries inflicted upon PC Harper, Long, Bowers and Cole callously smirked at each other, and they showed no remorse throughout the trial.
When Long was charged with murder, having not cooperated with investigating officers, his reply was: “I don’t give a f**k”.
Long, Bowers and Cole
Following the outcome of the trial, a petition was set up on Change.org entitled: ‘overturn a miscarriage of justice’.
Andrew’s Mum, Debbie, wrote a post on the petition saying:
‘Andrew James Harper is my son. I am disgusted that he has been let down. When they crossed the junction on A4, there’s no way they did not know he was being thrown against the pavements.
‘Utterly and bitterly disgusted with the outcome. Andrew went to work to serve us all. And this is how he was repayed’.
At the time of writing this article, the petition has attracted 147,288 signatures. The petition can be found HERE
Long, Bowers and Cole are all due to be sentenced this Friday. The maximum penalty for manslaughter is life in prison.
PC Andrew Harper | Born 22nd March 1991 – died 15th August 2019 | #RIP
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How the jury can sleep at night is beyond me. PC Harper died a shocking death because of those things ( i can’t even call them human beings) because they simply are not. I hope the judge who passes sentence has more compassion and sentences them all to life in prison.
I pray they get life in prison, his poor wife and parents, they have already received a life sentence, justice must surely be done .How can it not be murder , they must have known what was happening behind the car , and to laugh in court and not show any remorse for their horrendous crime, unbelievable !
Disgusting justice for PC Harper must be done it is the least this country can do for him and his family
I have always said the that crime doesn’t pay these scumbags get away with murder,because the justices service is shit in this country and protects the criminals more then the honest people RIP PC Harper
Beyond belief : justice certainly has not been served in this case!
I hope the die in prison and rot in hell… evil murderous, thieving scum.. Their families bread murderers yes will call the police when they need help… they can rot too. These POS murders laughed when leaving for prison. Thoughts and prayers to the PC Harpers family
I’m so angry our justice system yet again has failed, those scum will be out again and thieving ASAP knowing they got away with murder will just make them more dangerous, my heart goes out to Andrews family, our judicial system needs a good clear out and we need judges who will go all out to keep scum off the streets maybe when they realise what the alternatives are no going to mummy’s birthday party ever might help
I agree with Anon
I was always given to understand that the jury is chosen on the basis of at least half of the twelve True and Just must understand what is being asked of them? Don’t they know the difference between Murder and Manslaughter?
They must think it means man’s laughter as they obviously don’t know that if someone is killed by their hand it is Murder and they knew they were towing the officer and he died, so it should have been Muder not manslaughter. These murderous swine should be gaoled for at least 35 years each.
We should also rethink the way a person who is responsible for choosing the jury in cases of this magnitude is chosen and not leave it to a court bailiff or usher.
I agree with what your saying but when choosing a juror you can only go by looks you can’t ask then what their thoughts are on the case they are about to hear
They are uncompasionate murderers life for a life doesn’t bring that man back to his family but them responsible should spend the rest of there life’s suffering and locked up best wishes to all his family
It was MURDER
I am disgusted that there were so many advertisements shown throughout the sad story of PC Harper, shame on you. Tony Davie, Chineham, Hampshire.
life sentence…dream on…judges these days don’t live in the real world..but we can live in hope they do get a life sentence they deserve it
A young man in the prime of His life lost His life to the scum that went out armed and ready to do serious injury if not to kill anybody that got in thier way to rob a quad bike that another person had worked and saved for god knows how long to buy it. Look into the eyes of these feral animals and you will see none of them gave a F**K”,. I bet my last pound coin, if these half breeds with no brain do not serve the full sentence they deserve they will be out on the streets in no time trying to steal someone elses belonging. In the process of committing any further crimes of any nature I hope sincerely that someone ,somewhere will have the B^^LS to blow them away to Kingdom come with a pump action shotgun. Maybe then that young policeman and His family will have some kind of restitution and consider some if not all justice has been served. This young Copper was only doing His job in protecting us all including the scumbags that Murdered Him and they repaid Him by dragging Him along the street as though He was worthless. May PC Andrew Harper rest in in some kind of peace for all eternity..
Please do not block this comment as I say from the bottom of my heart.and it is the truth.
these morons should be hung buts thats not going to happen so i hope and pray they get very long sentences with no chance of parole and i hope they are made to suffer every single day R I P PC HARPER
The law of this land is a Joke. These three thugs deserve a life sentence for murder. I hope they rot in hell!
Devastating for the family and an incredibly sad loss for our country. We need change to protect our Police Officers who risk their lives daily for the sake of us all – putting themselves at risk so that we can all be safe. They are our heroes and we should give them the respect that they deserve in life and death.