In the next 15 seconds Cole removed the loop of strapping from the handlebars of the quad bike, Mr Laidlaw told the court. Mr Laidlaw said Pcs Harper and Shaw, in an unmarked BMW, drove onto Admoor Lane where they came face-to-face with the SEAT Toledo, driven by Long. It's clear he has a catastrophic series of injuries and there's nothing that can be done for him.". A brave man protecting us all and just doing his job.". I also want to thank the public and the wider police family for their messages of support during this extremely difficult time for everyone affected by Andrews death. PC Harper's mother, Debbie Adlam, is campaigning for Andrew's Law. Mr Laidlaw said: ' Despite it being well beyond the end of their shift, because they were close and because thought they could help, they responded to the call. "They came round earlier and now they're at my property in Stanford Dingley.". Mrs Harper said: "Should I speak again of how we were robbed of our future or the plans stolen from us? As Long drove around the police car to escape, PC Harper got out of his vehicle and tried to apprehend Cole, who had unhitched the bike and was running behind the Seat driven by Long. My sister's first born. But while his colleagues mourned the death of one of their own, detectives were required to push emotions aside for the murder investigation. [10][11] Harper and fellow constable Andrew Shaw, who were finishing a surveillance shift in Reading,[5] responded to the call in their unmarked BMW police car. Det Supt Blaik said PC Harper "paid the ultimate price" for going beyond the call of duty, but added "that is what police officers do up and down the country, day in and day out". Mr Wallis told the Thames Valley Police operator: "I've got four masked men outside my house and they've got weapons. At 11.17pm on August 15 last. The father of Pc Andrew Harper has said the family are "devastated" following his death. The Old Bailey heard how Mr Wallis had confronted the thieves earlier that day and was at home when they returned under the cover of darkness wearing masks and gloves. PC Harper, known as Harps, and his colleague PC Andrew Shaw, were in the area in an unmarked police BMW when they responded to the 999 call, more than four hours after their shift was due to end. "[That] is consistent with our current belief that Andrew was caught between a vehicle and the road and then dragged for a distance.". Photographs of the pair on their wedding day at Ardington House, a Georgian manor in Oxfordshire, have been released. Pc Harper, who has been described by his uncle as the "loveliest person that you will ever meet", married his wife Lissie just four weeks ago. The cause of death is consistent with our current belief that Andrew was caught between a vehicle and the road, and then dragged for a distance. Oh, they are stealing my quad bike, Im going out there now., The operator told him not to go out, but Mr Wallis said: I dont care, Ive got to protect that bike., The operator said officers were on their way, adding: You cant go out there if theyve got a weapon, you are going to be hurt., He responds: Theres all sorts of pieces of wood out there, they can pick up anything. Our grandson Andrew was killed last night while doing his police work. Relatives of PC Harper have also paid tribute on social media to the "loveliest person that you will ever meet". Mr Justice Edis told them: 'The vehicles have been put in similar positions to the position they would have been in during part of the incident.'. He added that he set off in his car to find PC Harper, and came across his stab vest further up the road. Is it time Harry & Meghan accept Clarkson's apology and move on? Eyewitness Jack Whittenham, who had been driving on the A4, described seeing Pc Harper's body being dragged on the road and hitting the curb, before he became detached from the Seat. On 16 December 2020 the Court of Appeal dismissed: However, as PC Harper attempted to apprehend one of the suspects, his ankle became caught on a tow rope attached to their car, and he was dragged to his death. Det Supt Ailsa Kent told a press conference: "A post-mortem was carried out on Andrew's body and the cause of death has been recorded as multiple injuries. A post-mortem revealed the devastating effect of even the initial injuries, thought to have been sustained when the back of PC Harper's head struck the ground. I quickly realised it was a person. "Broken, distraught, beaten, a void, an empty shell. Deborah Adlam, the mother of PC Andrew Harper, said her first-born had been "ripped" from her, PC Andrew Harper was killed by three teenagers trying to steal a quad bike, Lissie Harper, the widow of PC Andrew Harper, Lissie and Andrew had been married for just one month when he was killed, PC Andrew Harper and his wife, Lissie, celebrating their wedding, (left to right), Henry Long, 19, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, were convicted of manslaughter. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? ROLL OF HONOUR. When he told the operator he was going outside to stop the thieves, he was told not to - but Mr Wallis continued to refuse. ", Ms Kent continued: "In respect of our investigation, we are interviewing those in custody, carrying out house-to-house inquiries, obtaining and reviewing CCTV footage, undertaking extensive forensic examination and taking witness statements.". Read about our approach to external linking. "We go towards trouble, we don't run away from it," he said. Colleagues of PC Andrew Harper will be giving evidence on day four of his murder trial at the Old Bailey. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: What then follows, you leave the car and had the gruesome discovery that body is your colleague. A great cop, a great man, a great friend. The coronavirus outbreak prompted the first trial to be stopped in late March. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Long has admitted manslaughter but denies intending to harm the 28-year-old officer. The abandoned quad bike can be seen rolling slowly behind the police car while PC Harper pursued Jessie Cole towards the getaway car. [13] In doing so, he was caught in a strap[a] that had been used to tow the quad bike. Police officers launched a murder probe following a "serious incident" which took place at around 11.30pm near to the crossroads of Ufton Lane and Lambdens Hill, near Sulhampstead between Reading and Newbury. A small circle of blue and white painted stones had been laid on the verge in tribute to the officer, with one saying 'when your heart stopped beating a part of me died'. 'With Jessie Cole now in the car, Henry Long drove off at speed, flooring the accelerator to make good their escape. The jury was shown footage of the incident, recorded on a camera attached to the officers' unmarked police car. Detective Superintendent Ailsa Kent of the Major Crime Unit said: Our complex investigation into the death of PC Andrew Harper continues and I want to take this opportunity to provide an update. On 15 August 2019, 28-year-old English police constable Andrew Harper was killed near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England in the line of duty.Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile (1.6 km), causing his death.In July 2020, three teenage males were found guilty of manslaughter and received sentences of 16 and 13 . 'Tragically, at that very moment and still in the act of chasing Jessie Cole down, PC Harper must have quite unwittingly stepped, with both feet, into the loop made of the strapping trailed behind the SEAT. ', The comments below have not been moderated, By "[48] The law was added to the statute book on 28 April 2022[49] and is now law. Eyewitness Jack Whittenham, who had been driving on the A4, described seeing Pc Harpers body being dragged on the road and hitting the curb, before he became detached from the Seat. Long had pleaded guilty to, and Bowers and Cole were found guilty of, manslaughter. PC Andrew Harper: Police officer's father backs call for life sentences for killers of emergency service workers, Two of PC Harper's killers launch appeals against their convictions, PC Andrew Harper's widow says he would have been proud of her for calling for law change, The operator told him officers were on their way, saying: "You can't go out there if they've got a weapon, you are going to be hurt. Pc Harper was pulled. He was dragged for. We are devastated. Subscribe to one or all notification sources from this one place. I have no motivation or even daily routine - chores or cooking a meal, it just feels pointless now. Recommended PC Andrew Harper's killer 'should be. Andrew Harper death: Man charged with newlywed PC's murder PC Andrew Harper's wife Lissie says her "heart is broken" after the death of her "darling boy". PC Harper had been trying to apprehend teenagers who had stolen a quad bike when he became entangled in a tow strap behind their SEAT Toledo. 'But the prosecution case is that it must have been very quickly clear to Henry Long, who was after all at the wheel of the car, that the vehicle was now dragging somebody behind it.'. At 11.17pm on August 15 last year, homeowner Peter Wallis called 999 to report thieves making off with his quad bike in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire. By Another read: "Such a shocking, mindless, horrific act of brutality. RIP mate, love you. A Gannett Company. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Thames Valley Police officer, 28, died after being dragged for more than a mile along . "Our grandson Andrew was killed last night while doing his police work. Harper, the passenger of the BMW, alighted the police vehicle and ran to the suspects' vehicle. "I have used every word possible to describe this torture - indescribable trauma I have been forced to endure these past 11 months. The trio had been undeterred by the presence of the homeowner when they returned to Privett House hours later, the court heard. Reply 21 13 slipperman GCM Mr Laidlaw said: 'PC Harper was completely naked apart from his socks, the heavy boots he was wearing and some ripped shreds of the trousers of his police uniform, which remained attached to his body. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Its clear he has a catastrophic series of injuries and theres nothing that can be done for him.. He will be loved forever.". "So proud of him. As PC Harper tried to apprehend one of the suspects, his ankles got caught on a tow rope attached to their Seat Toldeo and he was dragged to his death. PC Andrew Harper was dragged behind a car after responding to a reported quad bike theft in August 2019 (Picture: PA) Henry Long, 19, has admitted the manslaughter of the Thames Valley Police. The policemen switched their blue and white emergency lights on, and PC Harper ran to intercept Cole - coming 'pretty close' to grabbing the suspect - before Cole 'dived' through one of the windows. [38], On 21 August, the Attorney-General applied for permission to refer the killers' sentences to the Court of Appeal on the basis that she considered them to be "unduly lenient". and With the strapping laying loose on the ground, Cole then tried to get into the SEAT car but was unable to, he said. 'That as a description is supported by the findings at post-mortem, where the pathologist found that PC Harper had suffered a very severe injury to the brain which is likely to have rendered him unconscious, presumably from the back of his head striking the ground.'. Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile (1.6km), causing his death. Something went wrong, please try again later. Joe Middleton For Mailonline Bowers, of Moat Close, Bramley, and Cole, of Paices Hill near Reading, confirmed they were passengers in the Seat, but denied ever seeing the police officer. Harper's killing led to the passing of Harper's Law, which introduced a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for anyone convicted of killing emergency workers. Video report by ITV News Correspondent Lucy Watson. [8] On 28 January 2020, Harper was given a posthumous award by the Police Federation of England and Wales. BerkshireLive email updates: We . Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: "What then follows, you leave the car and had the gruesome discovery that body is your colleague. "Andrew was such a good man, a brave, a caring person, funny and uplifting. Harper's widow had made a victim impact statement and later released an open letter, in which she implored Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel to allow a retrial seeking a murder verdict. [16] On 23 March, along with all other jury trials in England and Wales, the trial was suspended pending a review of operations amid the spread of COVID-19. PC Harper's colleagues have been laying floral tributes at the scene, with one message describing the officer as "Thames Valley's finest". The newlyweds had been looking forward to their honeymoon in the Maldives. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. HP10 9TY. Follows the tireless campaigning of PC Andrew Harper's family Named after PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in the line of duty in 2019, the law will introduce mandatory life sentences. Detective supt Kent added: I want to thank local residents for their patience and cooperation while we carried out this vital work, and other enquiries at a number of other scenes across West Berkshire. Mr Laidlaw said: 'Henry Long continued to drive at speed for the next mile or so and he drove in a manner calculated to dislodge or shake the officer free from the strapping. She said the 10 boys and men had been arrested at council-run caravan and mobile home site, Four Houses Corner, about three miles from where PC Harper died. The widow was speaking before her husband's teenage killers were sentenced following their manslaughter conviction last week. Long was acquitted of murder at the Old. Now his devastated wife of just 28 days has released a heartbreaking tribute to her . Pc Shaw turned his vehicle around, expecting to find PC Harper waiting for him. The body of PC Andrew Harper's was 'too damaged' for his family to see, his mum revealed in a heartbreaking victim impact statement. PC Andrew Shaw can be seen steering the vehicle in reverse while flashing blue lights before his colleague comes into view in the BMW's rear window. It was a decision that would cost PC Harper his life. The first stop was the Bull Inn, where the defendants were allegedly spotted before a first failed attempt to steal the quad bike. Mrs Harper said "the messages, support and kind words" had been "overwhelming". Bowers was in the car as a passenger when PC Harper was killed. The 'endless loop' tow rope, which Pc Harper got caught in, had been re-attached to the rear of the Seat for the jury to see. PC Andrew Harper from the roads policing unit at Abingdon Police Station was attending a reported burglary and was killed while performing his duties. 'Almost naked by this point, PC Harper was left as you can imagine with the most appalling of injuries, from which he died there on the road. Giving evidence, PC Shaw described the moment his colleague appeared to fall over and disappear from view. PC Andrew Harper was "doing no more than his job" when he was dragged for more than a mile to his death after his feet got caught in a strap trailing behind a suspect's getaway car. "It's been really emotional for people that knew him, but we didn't realise how much other people felt the same grief," he told the BBC. Ms Kent told a press conference: "A post-mortem was carried out on Andrew's body yesterday and the cause of death has been recorded as multiple injuries. [22] A fourth male, a 21-year-old from Basingstoke, was charged with conspiracy to steal a quad bike and subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge. Editors' Code of Practice. Detective Supt Ailsa Kent added: "I can confirm that the males were arrested from a local authority-run caravan and mobile home site, Four Houses Corner, in Reading Road near Burghfield Common. It looked like a rag doll.. Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article. Later, other officers could be seen gathered around what appeared to be a black hatchback car inside the Four Houses Corner caravan site. "I have sat in the mortuary of my son's covered body, too damaged for me to see. He added that they had "hand-held things" and were "all masked" during the call that was played out in court, in which he asked the operator to send someone round to his house. Police search the scene, where Thames Valley Police officer Pc Andrew Harper, 28, died following a 'serious incident'. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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