The UK government has delayed an early prison release scheme until October after public anger that Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, two men convicted of manslaughter over the death of Police Constable Andrew Harper, could qualify. Under the Sentencing Act 2026, eligible prisoners serving fixed sentences in England and Wales can be released after serving one-third of their sentence, subject to community supervision.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has excluded rape, serious child-sex and other grooming offences from the scheme, reducing the estimated number of eligible inmates to about 5,000. Manslaughter is not currently excluded, leaving the legal route to block Bowers and Cole’s release unresolved.
What the scheme changes
The scheme was introduced to ease overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales, where prison services remain centrally controlled. Prisoners convicted of less serious offences who would normally serve 40 or 50 percent of their sentence in custody may be released after one-third. A separate group originally due to leave after two-thirds may be released after half.
Early release does not end a sentence. People released into the community remain subject to probation conditions and can be recalled to prison if they breach them. Burnham has also announced additional supervision for those released and more support for victims.
Why PC Harper’s case triggered anger
Harper, 28, was killed in 2019 while responding to a burglary in Berkshire. His ankle became caught in a tow-rope loop as three teenagers fled in a car after a quad bike theft, and he was dragged along a country road for more than a mile, or 1.8km. Bowers and Cole were each sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020.
Under the usual rules, they would serve at least two-thirds of their sentences before being considered for release. Under the new scheme, they would be eligible in June 2027, according to the supplied report. A third convicted killer, Henry Long, received a longer sentence requiring consideration by the Parole Board. Harper’s widow, Lissie Harper, has called for Bowers and Cole to be denied early release.
- About 900,000 people have signed a petition opposing the killers’ early release.
- Fifty police chiefs signed a letter urging Burnham to pursue every legal option.
- Adding manslaughter to the exclusions could block the early release of about 1,000 inmates, according to estimates cited in the report.
Why prisons are under pressure
The Institute for Government says the prison population has doubled over 30 years despite falling crime rates, driven largely by longer sentences and more recalls after release. Men’s prisons are currently 97 percent full, while Prison Reform Trust research found that 72 percent of prisons in England and Wales were overcrowded between 2024 and 2025. More than 21,600 people were held in overcrowded accommodation.
New prisons cannot provide a quick fix: construction and opening of an operational facility takes an average of seven years, with projects often delayed. Staffing shortages have also limited rehabilitation activities, while overcrowding and long periods locked in cells can increase risks of self-harm, violence and reoffending.
What happens next
Burnham paused the scheme for review after concerns that some rapists and child-grooming offenders could be released. He has since said the law will not apply to those offences, moved the start date back by one month and said he is confident that the most serious offenders, including Harper’s killers, can be prevented from being released early.
The government has said creating a specific exclusion for manslaughter of an emergency worker would not be legally feasible because that is not a specific offence. Burnham has also pointed to expanding prison capacity by removing foreign offenders more quickly and repurposing some women’s prisons for male offenders, while saying that preventing all early releases would risk the prison system collapsing.
No comments yet. Start the discussion.