BBC Breakfast issues major update as 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐦 faces huge new
BBC Breakfast issued a major update which spells bad news for Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
BBC Breakfast ground to a halt for an urgent police update regarding PC Andrew Harper’s killer’s prison sentence. In 2019, the British police officer was killed in the line of duty just four weeks after tying the knot. Following a highly publicised trial in 2020, Henry Long pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 16 years behind bars, while Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were also convicted of manslaughter, were slapped with a 13-year sentence.
Earlier this month, the Labour Government came under fire when it was announced that Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers could be eligible for the new early release scheme just half-way through their 13-year sentences. On Wednesday (August 12), political correspondent Joe Pike joined Sally Nugent and Jon Kay on the breakfast show to issue a fresh update on the killer’s fates.
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He revealed that fifty police chiefs have signed a letter urging the Prime Minister to pursue “every legal option” to prevent the early release of two of PC Harper’s killers. The broadcaster explained: “Andy Burnham said yesterday that he’s confident that can be achieved and he’ll do everything in his power to make that happen.
“The police chiefs also say that the early release of anyone involved in the death of a police officer could cost more than the value of the service and sacrifice when they put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. This is a brilliant argument about police morale, and police chiefs wanted to show that they have their officer’s backs.
“They also argue that there are wider dangers that this Government early release scheme doesn’t take into account, [including] offenders who have committed exceptionally serious, violent, or prevent risks to the public. The key sentence, I think, is that they’re saying it could undermine public safety, victim confidence and wider confidence in the criminal justice system.”
The broadcaster went on to share the Labour party’s take on the changes to the early release scheme, insisting: “The UK Government says the situation we’re in is largely – they argue – a decision made by the last Government. They say there are tweaks that have been made to the system to ensure that some serious offenders are not released, and also that they’ve invested significantly in the probation service and in things like tagging.
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were convicted for PC Andrew Harper’s death in 2020 (Image: Thames Valley Police/PA Wire)
“However, the fact that we’re talking about this for weeks is due to the fact that their position has shifted, and that clearly is something that could have been prevented.” It didn’t take long for viewers to flock to social media to voice their frustrations with the Government online.
One user penned: “Time to bring back capital punishment in lawless Britain could free up plenty of space in prisons [angry emoji].” Another agreed: “The entire police force should strike. That’ll make Burnham actually do something for a living.”
It comes after the Labour leader insisted new emergency measures to ease the prison overcrowding crisis will keep PC Andrew Harper’s killers behind bars. In a bombshell Facebook post, the politician stated he “understands” the fury over the potential release of Cole and Bowers.
He wrote: “I have spent recent days considering in depth all of the issues involved in the range of advice I have received. I have been pushing for further progress. I have not accepted that it is impossible to do more. As a result, I have asked the Justice Secretary to fast-track the development of a plan for presentation to Parliament early next month to create more headroom within the prison system.”
