PC Andrew Harper’s Mum Breaks Her Silence As Government U-Turns Threaten To Free Her Son’s Killers Early
PC Andrew Harper’s Mum Debbie Adlam Left ‘Turned Inside Out’ by Government U-Turn Chaos: ‘It Feels Like Nobody’s Put Enough Effort Into Finding Ways to Keep His Killers Locked Up’
The mother of murdered PC Andrew Harper has said she has been “turned inside out” by the government’s chaotic U-turn over whether her son’s killers will be released from prison early — and now she is demanding the Prime Minister find a way to stop the thugs being let out before the law is changed in September.
Debbie Adlam, 50, whose son was dragged to his death in 2019 after being hooked to a car while trying to stop thieves stealing a quad bike in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, spoke out in an emotional interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. She revealed that Downing Street had called her to tell her the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is “doing everything he can” to stop the killers being freed.
But Debbie, who has already been through unimaginable hell, said she “just doesn’t know how to think, how to feel” after the government’s flip-flopping. “It’s turned me inside out,” she told Good Morning Britain. “It feels like a hash… a rush job.” She added: “It feels like nobody’s put enough effort into actually look for reasons or ways. We are having to push on every level. They weren’t given extreme sentences. I’m only asking for them to do what they were given.”
PC Harper, 28, was newly married when he was killed. The two teenage killers — Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 17 at the time — were convicted of his manslaughter and sentenced to 13 years each in 2020. Under the current law they are due for release in April 2027, after serving half their sentence. That is why the government has been frantically trying to find a way to keep them behind bars.
Last week the Prime Minister ordered a review of the early-release scheme, which was introduced by Labour to ease prison overcrowding. Officials said it was proving too hard to stop dangerous offenders like Bowers and Cole being freed without causing chaos in crowded jails. But after days of conflicting briefings, Burnham gave the family fresh hope by saying he is “increasingly confident” a solution can be found.
Debbie Adlam’s words have been echoed by other victims. Her widow, Lissie Harper, was already “disgusted” when she first heard the killers were eligible for early release. Now she, too, is fighting for justice.
Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman slammed the government for “flip-flopping” over the issue. “From a victim’s perspective, the position appears to keep changing,” she said. She added that bereaved families want “clarity about what lies ahead” and that continued uncertainty is only adding to their distress.
Police chiefs are equally furious. Thames Valley Police Federation chairwoman Aileen O’Connor, who started the petition calling for Bowers and Cole to stay in jail, said the government has “sent a deeply troubling message” about the value it places on police officers. “Their actions so far have been totally demoralising for all police officers,” she said. The petition has now been signed by more than 950,000 people.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the Prime Minister of “re-traumatising victims and their families with their constant U-turns”. He said: “It’s clear that good vibes and a snazzy T-shirt do not make for competent government.”
Probation officers have also reacted strongly. Ninety per cent of members of the Napo union voted in favour of potential strike action, warning that the early-release scheme is already struggling and that a bigger workload would put public safety at risk.
But Debbie Adlam is still holding out hope. Speaking from her home in Reading, she said: “I’m only asking for them to do what they were given.” She added: “I will fight until the end to make sure they don’t get out early.”
The killers, both 17 when they murdered Andrew, showed no remorse at their Old Bailey trial. They were filmed smirking as they were led away in handcuffs. Their families have stayed silent, but the pain for Debbie, who lost her only son, and the rest of the Harper family is unbearable.
The government is under huge pressure to act before the new Sentencing Act comes into force in September. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered officials to look at three areas: speeding up the deportation of foreign criminals, fixing the messy Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) system that affects more than 2,300 people, and using female jails for male offenders.
Debbie Adlam is not giving up. She is the mother of a hero who died in the line of duty after getting caught up in a strap attached to the rear of a car while trying to stop thieves on a quad bike. Her son’s killers were supposed to spend the full 13 years behind bars.
Instead, the government’s U-turn has left her family, and thousands of other victims, in limbo. The petition is still growing. The pressure is building. And Debbie Adlam — whose son was only 28 when he was brutally murdered — is still fighting.
Every day she wakes up thinking about Andrew. Every day she pushes for answers. Every day she reminds the government that her son’s killers must stay behind bars. The Prime Minister says he is “pushing the system every single day”. Debbie Adlam says she is pushing too — and she will not stop until her son’s killers are where they were sentenced to be.
The government U-turn has left a bitter taste in the mouth of everyone who knew PC Andrew Harper. But for his mum, it has only made her fight stronger. “I’m turned inside out,” she said. But inside that chaos is a mother who refuses to accept defeat — and a campaign that is growing stronger by the hour.