"I search around for words to express my heartbreak, but each word is inadequate.". BerkshireLive email updates: We . A tragic series of events that led to the "gruesome discovery" of Pc Andrew Harper lying catastrophically injured in a country lane has been played out in court. Bowers and Cole's applications for permission to appeal against their sentences were granted, to enable the Court of Appeal to correct an error made in their sentencing for the offence of conspiracy to steal. Pc Harper and his crew mate Pc Andrew Shaw responded to Mr Walliss report, even though their shift had ended. [8] On 28 January 2020, Harper was given a posthumous award by the Police Federation of England and Wales. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Police forces,. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: "What then follows, you leave the car and had the gruesome discovery that body is your colleague. (3) Bowers and Cole's applications for permission to appeal against their convictions. "I have sat in the mortuary of my son's covered body, too damaged for me to see. [24][25] 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. Long had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. [13] In doing so, he was caught in a strap[a] that had been used to tow the quad bike. An Old Bailey jury acquitted all three defendants of murder on Friday, instead convicting Cole and Bowers of manslaughter. [18], Shaw lost sight of the SEAT but in his pursuit found Harper's stab vest in the road. [15] With the quad bike no longer attached, the suspects drove south-east on Lambden's Hill with Harper "lassoed" to the rear of the SEAT vehicle. In August 2019, Andrew went to a property in Berkshire to respond to reports of a stolen quad bike, despite it being four hours after his shift was supposed to have finished. The Old Bailey was told how Mr Wallis confronted the thieves earlier in the day and was at home when they returned after dark, in gloves and masks. READ MORE: Murder investigation launched. On August 15 last year, PC Harper attended reports of a quad bike theft in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, at about 11.17pm. She confirmed that the arrests were made at a council-run caravan and mobile home site, Four Houses Corner, in Reading Road near Burghfield Common. In a murder trial reconstruction on Wednesday, more than a dozen uniformed police officers stood silent guard as jurors visited the place, in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, where PC Harper died in the line of duty. PC Harper, who became a regular officer in 2011 after joining as a special constable a year earlier, had attended the reported break-in at about 23:30 BST with a fellow officer. Follows the tireless campaigning of PC Andrew Harper's family Named after PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in the line of duty in 2019, the law will introduce mandatory life sentences. "In answer to the question: how has Andrew's death impacted me? On August 17 2019, Thames Valley Police's . [27] Long, who was driving the SEAT,[11] had previously admitted manslaughter and conspiracy to steal a quad bike. This new jury heard how Long, 19, Bowers and Cole, both 18, had hitched a Honda quad bike to the back of a Seat Toledo at a home near Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, and made off into the darkness as the vehicle's owner dialled 999. The best way he could describe it was like a waterskier, he said: "Feet whipped forward and you land on your back - that's how Harps fell.". Love from Nan and Bubba xxx". Earlier in the trial, last month, prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC described the moment PC Harper becaame entangled in the tow rope. They came round earlier and now theyre at my property in Stanford Dingley.. A MAN has been charged with the murder of PC Andrew Harper as he investigated a burglary in Berkshire last week. Lists of casualties sustained by the New Zealand forces in the recent fighting on the western front were telegraphed b 21:19 EST 01 Jul 2020. Mrs Harper said "the messages, support and kind words" had been "overwhelming". As the retrial began in June, new jurors were placed 2m (6ft 6in) apart, while members of the press and the public followed proceedings on monitors in neighbouring courtrooms. "Our superman, our bodyguard, our light in the dark. Mr Justice Edis told them: 'The vehicles have been put in similar positions to the position they would have been in during part of the incident.'. On 16 December 2020 the Court of Appeal dismissed: During the investigation, police officers and staff took 1,250 statements, visited more than 1,000 homes and pursued 1,122 lines of inquiry. "Feet whipped forward and you land on your back - that's how Harps fell," PC Shaw said. Proceedings were halted to discuss measures to safeguard jurors after someone in the public gallery was seen pointing at them. A post-mortem revealed the devastating effect of even the initial injuries, thought to have been sustained when the back of PC Harper's head struck the ground. One tribute, accompanied by an image of PC Harper smiling with a friend, said: "Harps, I am truly gutted. Editors' Code of Practice. Cole ran directly past the police car and dived through the backseat passenger window after the officer came close to catching him in the interception at around 11.38pm, jurors were told. "[48] The law was added to the statute book on 28 April 2022[49] and is now law. Reply 21 13 slipperman GCM ', The comments below have not been moderated, By The cause of death is consistent with our current belief that Andrew was caught between a vehicle and the road, and then dragged for a distance. The coronavirus outbreak prompted the first trial to be stopped in late March. "That's the reason in particular this question defeats me - unless you have stood in my shoes, lost a soulmate, a beloved partner you intended to spend your life with - how is this grief possible to describe? Harper, a 28-year-old Thames Valley police officer, was . and "Pc Harper was a beautiful young soul. He was dragged for. (2) Long's application for permission to appeal against his sentence; and The 'endless loop' tow rope, which Pc Harper got caught in, had been re-attached to the rear of the Seat for the jury to see. [37], On 4 August, the Attorney General's Office confirmed that it had received a request to review the sentences under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. [34] On 24 July, the three defendants were cleared of murder. ", After a pause, he adds: "F*** me they've already taken it.". Mr Wallis told the Thames Valley Police operator: "I've got four masked men outside my house and they've got weapons. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Advertisement. he did not know PC Harper was attached to the vehicle. [26] Bowers and Coleboth minors at the time of the offence and originally protected by Section 39 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal a quad bike[15] but denied manslaughter. The first stop was the Bull Inn, where the defendants were allegedly spotted before a first failed attempt to steal the quad bike. [44], On 27 October 2019, 5,000 motorcyclists took part in a "ride of respect" between RAF Benson and Abingdon Airfield. Initially 10 males, aged between 13 and 30, were arrested at the Four Houses Corner caravan site, before Long, Bowers and Cole went on trial accused of murder at the Old Bailey in March. Read about our approach to external linking. In the call, Mr Wallis added: Theres all sorts of pieces of wood out there, they can pick up anything. ", He responds: "There's all sorts of pieces of wood out there, they can pick up anything. [6] On 18 July 2019, Harper married his partner of 13 years, Lissie (ne Beckett). [48] Harper's Law did not affect the sentences of the three men already imprisoned for killing Andrew Harper.[50]. Despite their shift ending, PC Harper and his colleague PC Andrew Shaw responded to Mr Wallis's report. 'The three, effectively acting together as one, were determined to make good their escape at whatever the cost and regardless of the harm that anybody standing in their way may come to.'. The court convoy was flanked by police cars and more officers lined the curb of the busy A4, which was temporarily closed to allow the jury to cross. Separately, Harper's mother launched a campaign to require killers of police officers to receive minimum jail terms of 20 years. ", Ms Kent continued: "In respect of our investigation, we are interviewing those in custody, carrying out house-to-house inquiries, obtaining and reviewing CCTV footage, undertaking extensive forensic examination and taking witness statements.". Bowers, of Moat Close, Bramley, and Cole, of Paices Hill near Reading, confirmed they were passengers in the Seat, but denied ever seeing the police officer. Earlier today we sought a 36 hour extension to their custody, and this was granted at Reading Magistrates Court. PC Andrew Harper was killed in Berkshire on Thursday, Police officers have been at a caravan site near to the scene where PC Harper was killed, Tributes to PC Harper have been laid at the scene, One message described PC Harper as "Thames Valley's finest", PC Harper got married to his fiance Lissie just four weeks ago. [33] The following day, the 11-person jury retired to deliberate. The detective said the "challenge was always going to be identifying who was in the car at that particular time", due to it being used by several people. Det Supt Ailsa Kent told a press conference: "A post-mortem was carried out on Andrew's body and the cause of death has been recorded as multiple injuries. The Seat driver Henry Long, 19, and his passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, from near Reading, have admitted conspiring to steal the 10,000 quad bike but have denied Pc Harpers murder. 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