Killed policeman's widow to meet Home Secretary
Harper's Law petition passes 500,000 mark
The widow of Pc Andrew Harper will meet the Home Secretary next month, as the number of signatures backing a petition for a new law in her husband's name passed the 500,000 milestone yesterday (Wednesday).
Lissie Harper, 29, was contacted by the Home Office to arrange face-to-face talks with Priti Patel and she will raise the issue of sentences handed to criminals who kill emergency services workers.
More than half a million people have now signed the petition backing Harper’s Law, which would see anyone convicted of killing an emergency services employee given a life sentence.
The 28-year-old Thames Valley Police traffic officer died in horrific circumstances on August 15 last year when he tried to stop three teenagers fleeing after they stole a quad bike in Stanford Dingley.
Pc Harper had only been married for four weeks and was due to go on his honeymoon the following week.
Nineteen-year-old Henry Long, from College Piece, Mortimer, who was driving the car that dragged Pc Harper to his death in August 2019, was jailed for 16 years for manslaughter at the Old Bailey in London.
The two other occupants of the car, 18-year-olds Jessie Cole, from Paices Hill, Aldermaston, and Albert Bowers, from Windmill Corner, Mortimer Common, were jailed for 13 years.
The prison sentences handed to the three were referred to the Court of Appeal by the Attorney General on Friday for judges to decide whether they were too lenient.
That came a day after Cole and Bowers both announced they would be appealing their convictions and sentences because they felt they were too harsh.
In a statement issued yesterday (Wednesday), Mrs Harper said: “What is more important than the safety and security of our emergency services workers?
“So we are delighted that the Home Office have been in touch to arrange the important meeting with Home Secretary Priti Patel. This is vital and it’s urgent.
“Our justice system is broken. And we need Harper’s Law to help fix it. I have witnessed first-hand the lenient and insufficient way in which the justice system deals with criminals who take the lives of our emergency workers.
"We need Harper's Law to give the ultimate protection to our emergency services workers. They run towards danger to protect the public from harm. They go out every day and risk their lives to protect us. They deserve the ultimate protection in return.
“We clearly have the backing of hundreds and thousands of members of the public in our campaign and I am stunned, delighted and incredibly thankful to every single person who has signed our petition www.change.org/HarpersLaw and given us their backing.
“Now equally politicians who are there to represent us all in our Parliament must sit up and take note. That’s MPs from all parties and the Home Secretary and Justice Minister. And I will be making this clear to them when we meet.
“We don’t just need warm words, we need action.”
