Killing of Andrew Harper

Andrew James Harper (22 March 1991 – 15 August 2019) grew up in Wallingford. He was educated at The Henley College, where he showed an ambition for joining the police. Harper initially joined Thames Valley Police as a special constable in 2010 at the age of 19, before joining as a regular police constable in 2011. and was based at the force's Abingdon station. On 18 July 2019, Harper married his partner of 13 years, Lissie (née Beckett). They had been expecting to go on their honeymoon in mid-August. == Incident ==

At 23:17 on 15 August 2019, Thames Valley Police received a 999 call from a property near Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, reporting a burglary-in-progress and theft of a quad bike. Harper and fellow constable Andrew Shaw, who were finishing a surveillance shift in Reading, At 23:28, In doing so, he was caught in a strap that had been used to tow the quad bike. Shaw lost sight of the SEAT but in his pursuit came across Harper's stab vest in the road. who was pronounced dead by paramedics at 23:45. near Burghfield Common. == Investigation and legal proceedings ==

At 00:50 on 16 August, police arrested an 18-year-old male and a 17-year-old male at the caravan site. A second 17-year-old male was also later arrested. Media reported that in total, 10 males aged between 13 and 30 had been arrested. a pathologist stated that it was likely Harper lost consciousness when he fell to the ground. On 19 September, the Crown Prosecution Service said that they had discontinued the case against a fifth defendant, a 20-year-old who had previously been charged with the murder. == Trial ==

The murder trial, presided over by Mr. Justice Andrew Edis, began at the Old Bailey on 10 March 2020. Bowers and Cole—both minors at the time of the offence and originally protected by Section 39 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933—pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal a quad bike Long, who was driving the SEAT, The trial was temporarily suspended on 17 and 18 March as a member of the jury was unwell. During this subsequently abandoned trial, Thames Valley Police said they had received intelligence suggesting possible jury intimidation. A retrial began on 23 June following changes to the UK's COVID-19 lockdown. On 20 July, a juror was discharged after a prison officer reported that she had mouthed "bye boys" to the defendants in the courtroom. The following day, the 11-person jury retired to deliberate. On 24 July, the three defendants were cleared of murder. Long had pleaded guilty to, and Bowers and Cole were found guilty of, manslaughter. Harper's widow had made a victim impact statement and later released an open letter, in which she implored Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel to allow a retrial seeking a murder verdict. In his summary, on the matter as to whether the jury had been subject to any improper pressure, Edis said: "To the best of my knowledge and belief there is no truth in that at all". Harper's MP, John Howell, had said that he intended to ask for a review of the sentences. On 19 August, Bowers and Cole made applications for permission to appeal against their convictions for manslaughter, and against the sentences that they had received. On 21 August, the Attorney General applied for permission to refer the killers' sentences to the Court of Appeal on the basis that they were "unduly lenient". On 28 August, Long applied for permission to appeal against his sentence, on the basis that it was too severe. The applications made by the defendants and by the Attorney General were heard by the Court of Appeal on 30 November. On 16 December the Court of Appeal dismissed: (1) the Attorney-General's application for permission to refer the sentences as unduly lenient; (2) Long's application for permission to appeal against his sentence; and (3) Bower and Cole's applications for permission to appeal against their convictions. The court granted permission for Bowers and Cole to appeal their sentences to enable the Court of Appeal to correct an error made in their sentencing for the offence of conspiracy to steal. Their sentences for manslaughter were not altered; as their sentences for conspiracy to steal and for manslaughter ran concurrently, their overall sentences were not affected. == Legacy ==

Harper's funeral was held on 14 October 2019 at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Members of the public lined the streets to watch the funeral procession, and over 800 people attended the service including Home Secretary Priti Patel and Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran—both of whom later paid respect to Harper in the House of Commons. On 27 October 2019, 5,000 motorcyclists took part in a "ride of respect" between RAF Benson and Abingdon Airfield. In June 2020, Thames Valley Police named a new horse in their mounted section "Harper" as a tribute. In 2025, the Police Memorial Trust announced that a memorial to Harper would be installed at Forbury Gardens in Reading. Harper's Law In August 2020, Harper's widow launched a campaign for a new law which would require life imprisonment for criminals whose actions result in the death of any police officer, prison officer, firefighter, nurse, doctor, or paramedic. Separately, Harper's mother launched a campaign to require killers of police officers to receive minimum jail terms of 20 years. On 24 November 2021, the Ministry of Justice announced that they would introduce "Harper's Law", giving mandatory life sentences to "anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty – including police, prison officers, firefighters and paramedics – while carrying out another crime unless there are truly exceptional circumstances." The law was added to the statute book on 28 April 2022 as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Both the Home Secretary Priti Patel and the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab credited Lissie Harper's campaign with convincing them to pass the law. == See also ==