Politiek · Justice Secretary apologises · ArchiefUK Justice Secretary apologises to PC Harper's widow as killers remain eligible for early releaseGeschreven 7 september 2026 om 21:22 UTCKijkenTranscript0:00The UK government's revised emergency0:01early release scheme now excludes rape,0:04serious [music] child sexual offenses,0:06and grooming, but manslaughter does not0:08make the list. That means two of PC0:10Andrew Harper's killers, [music]0:12convicted of manslaughter for his 20190:14death, remain eligible for early0:16release. And that decision has [music]0:17forced Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood0:19to apologize directly to Harper's widow.0:21Mahmood told Sky News she was sorry0:24Lissie Harper had been put into this0:25situation. Harper called the decision an0:27affront [music] to justice and utter0:29betrayal and said she would not be able0:31to forgive or forget it. The government0:33drew a boundary [music] excluding those0:35three categories, but left manslaughter0:37on the eligible side. That is the line0:39that keeps Harper's killers in the pool0:41for early release. Mahmood's0:42justification [music]0:43is arithmetic. She told Sky News that0:46without these changes, prisons would run0:47out of places in October or November0:49this year,0:50>> [music]0:50>> but that deadline is now forcing0:52recalculations. And the prison and0:54probation service reportedly fears0:55mistakes in the rush. PC Harper was0:58killed in the line of duty in 2019.0:59[music]1:00His killers convicted of manslaughter.1:02Legislation meant to settle this months1:04ago did not pass. Now the review that1:06was partly triggered by public outrage1:08over Harper's [music] case has produced1:09a boundary that still leaves his killers1:11eligible. What remains unresolved is1:13whether the October or November deadline1:16will force further revisions, [music]1:17further exclusions, or further1:19apologies, and whether the two men whose1:21convictions made Lissie Harper beyond1:23appalled will walk free before any of1:25those questions are answered.Lees het artikelTijdlijn van het verhaalHeyDexDe korte video ↗
