Andy Burnham has halted a controversial early release scheme that would have freed thousands of prisoners, including two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers, after an outcry from victims’ families.
The prime minister announced on Thursday that “no prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public.” The Sentencing Act, due to take effect in September, would have allowed some offenders to be released after serving a third of their sentence rather than half, with more serious offenders freed after half instead of two-thirds. An initial group of about 700 prisoners were expected to be released, with up to 6,000 eventually benefiting.
“Burnham pauses early prisoner release after outcry over PC Harper's killers' potential freedom.”
The pause came after Lissie Harper, widow of the Thames Valley Police officer killed in 2019, called the plans “deplorable”. She said politicians were “making decisions from behind a desk that will have real and lasting consequences” for victim families. Two of her husband’s killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter, would have become eligible for early release from June 2027 under the scheme. PC Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, said her son had not received “proper justice” and that “every victim will be feeling the same”.
The new justice secretary, Alex Norris, said the pause aimed to “give victims and survivors certainty” and that a review would also examine information given to families. Norris, who voted for the act under Sir Keir Starmer’s government, added: “We’ve put an important pause on this policy. It gives us a little bit of time to look at this.” However, with prisons in England and Wales near capacity and officials warning they will run out of space by November without the scheme, the review may simply tweak rather than scrap the plan. Probation officers have warned of a “sense of chaos” as staff cannot prepare.
Burnham said: “Where changes are needed, we will not hesitate to make them.” Survivors of sexual assault have welcomed the move, but the future of the early release scheme remains uncertain.