PC ANDREW Harper’s widow will tell veteran ITV broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald of the devastating moment she was told of her husband’s death.
The knock at the front door of their Wallingford home came just four weeks after the couple wed.
Traffic officer PC Harper was killed when he became entangled in a tow rope being dragged behind a getaway car driven by Henry Long.
Andrew and Lissie Harper Picture: PA
The 28-year-old had been tasked to stop the suspected quad bike thieves and got out of his unmarked vehicle in an effort to apprehend the men. He was dragged behind the getaway vehicle for a mile at speeds of more than 40mph and, tragically, died at the scene.
In a new ITV documentary, broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald has spoken to the officer’s widow, Lissie, about the moment she was told of her husband’s death and how, in the aftermath of his death, she had to grieve in the full glare of the media spotlight.
The one-part special follows her fight for ‘Harper’s Law’, which will introduce a life sentence for anyone guilty of killing a member of the emergency services while they were committing another crime.
Det Ch Insp Stuart Blaik, the senior investigating officer tasked with investigating Andrew Harper’s death, visits the scene of the killing with Sir Trevor and explains the efforts to track down those responsible.
Three teenagers, Henry Long, 19, Albert Bowers, 18, and Jesse Cole, 18, were charged with murdering the officer.
Jessie Cole, Albert Bowers and Henry Long Picture: PA/TVP
But in a candid interview with Sir Trevor, prosecution barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC will detail the difficulties he faced in trying to secure murder convictions at the Old Bailey.
He was unable to convince jurors so they were sure that the defendants knew they were dragging the officer behind them – despite the evidence from crash investigator Simon Hall that it would have had a noticeable effect on their ability to drive the car.
All three teenagers were convicted of manslaughter, but cleared of the more serious charge of murder.
They were collectively jailed for 42 years. And photographs of the young men laughing and joking outside court spurred Lissie Harper on to campaign for ‘Harper’s Law’, she will tell the ITV documentary.
Last November, the government announced that they would introduce Harper’s Law as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Welcoming that move, Lissie said at the time: “Emergency services workers require extra protection. I know all too well how they are put at risk and into the depths of danger on a regular basis on behalf of society.
"That protection is what Harper’s Law will provide and I am delighted that it will soon become a reality.”
The Killing of PC Harper: A Widow’s Fight for Justice will air on Tuesday, March 15, at 9pm.
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