Early Release Scheme for Convicted Killers Faces Urgent Review Amid Public Outcry
Government policy shift for 6,000 inmates sparks national debate and immediate halt to implementation plans.
Carla Rooney
A new government scheme could see Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of manslaughter in the 2019 death of Police Constable Andrew Harper, released early from prison.
The decision to halt the early release scheme follows widespread public condemnation and significant concerns from within the prison service regarding the implementation of the new Sentencing Act.
PC Andrew Harper was killed in 2019 while investigating a burglary in Berkshire. This tragedy led to the conviction of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers for manslaughter, each receiving 13-year sentences.
Henry Long, the driver of the vehicle involved in PC Harper's death, received a 16-year sentence and remains ineligible for this specific early release scheme.
The Sentencing Act, passed in January 2024, aimed to reduce prison overcrowding. It unleashed unintended consequences, potentially allowing inmates to be released after serving half their sentences rather than two-thirds.
Tens of thousands of inmates have already been released early under 2024 measures. Under current plans, Cole and Bowers could have walked free in approximately six months, sparking immediate outrage.
The prime minister acknowledged the severe problem of prison overcrowding, citing it as the impetus for the early release program.
However, the new act includes no exemptions for prisoners convicted of serious crimes, domestic abuse, or terrorism. This critical distinction separates it from the 2024 plan.
The family of PC Andrew Harper has vehemently criticized the potential early release of his killers. Lissie Harper stated that Labour's soft justice scheme is "deplorable" and that politicians have forgotten victims' families.
Labour's soft justice scheme is deplorable and politicians have forgotten victims' families.
Debbie Adlam also asserted that releasing Cole and Bowers halfway through their jail terms would deny PC Andrew Harper "proper justice." She warned it would "bottle up problems for the future" due to reoffending concerns.
A video has resurfaced showing Cole and Bowers laughing and goading after a court appearance on September 19, 2019. This further fueled public outrage and solidified the perceived injustice.
Jade Belgrove, groomed, drugged, and raped twice by Simon Tyler in 2010 when she was 14, started a petition against the early release scheme that gained over 88,000 signatories.
Belgrove stated that the man who raped her, jailed for nine years in 2024, could have been released after serving just half his sentence. This left her "petrified for her own safety."
She also condemned a video of Shabana Mahmood and Wes Streeting joking about the early release scheme, calling it "absolutely disgusting." She accused them of "laughing at victims."
Absolutely disgusting. They are laughing at victims.
The pause has created "a sense of chaos" across the Prison Service, according to Patania Bassett, Napo’s national officer. This highlights the immediate operational fallout.
Bassett stated that prison officials "do not know" how to respond to the review. She added that this review could potentially reduce timeframes even further, putting more pressure on already overworked probation staff.
A union official warned that unless probation staff received "imminent, concrete direction" about who will be considered, established release plans could collapse entirely.
Reform UK, through its prisons adviser Vanessa Frake and police and crime commissioner for Norfolk Colin Sutton, proposes deporting 10,500 foreign criminals. They also advocate building new 'Nightingale prisons' on Ministry of Defence land within 18 months.
Reform UK also advocates for tough prison sentences with no early release for violent criminals, sex offenders, and anyone caught with a knife. This aims to ensure that time spent in prison constitutes a definite sentence, not a mere suggestion.