Teenagers guilty of killing PC Andrew Harper

 Three teenagers are convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, who died after being dragged along a road by a car.

PC Harper suffered catastrophic fatal injuries when his ankles got caught during a strap trailing behind a vehicle driven by Henry Long in August 2019.

Long, 19, had earlier admitted manslaughter but was cleared of murder.

Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18, were cleared of murder but found guilty at the Old Bailey of manslaughter.

Speaking outside court, PC Harper's widow Lissie said she would feel "heart-wrenching pain" for the remainder of her life over the "brutal and senseless killing".

She said she was "immensely disappointed" by the manslaughter verdicts and had been left "utterly shocked and appalled".

Following the convictions, it can now be revealed jurors within the trial had to tend special protection after police received intelligence associates of the killers had planned to intimidate them.

The PC's killing that sparked an outpouring of affection
PC Harper was dragged for quite a mile along country lanes in Berkshire after he and a colleague skilled reports of a quad bike theft on 15 August, jurors heard.

Their shift had officially ended four hours before.

The 28-year-old newlywed became "lassoed" to the rear of a Seat Toledo after he "unwittingly" stepped with both feet into the loop of a tow rope as he tried to apprehend one among the defendants.

Prosecutors said the Abingdon-based roads policing officer was "swung from side to side sort of a pendulum" after Long sped off to flee the scene.

The court heard the Seat travelled for quite a mile towards the A4 before PC Harper became detached and died within the road.

Jonathan Laidlaw QC previously told jurors the defendants had been prepared to use force "if met with resistance".

The trio had an outsized axe, three crowbars and a hammer and were "plainly determined to steal the quad bike" from a home near Stanford Dingley, Mr Laidlaw said.

It was clear they were "intending, if met with resistance, that serious harm would be caused to commit the offence of theft or to secure their escape", the court heard.

During the trial, the prosecution said it had sought murder charges after alleging the defendants were aware the officer was being dragged behind the car.

Defence lawyers claimed the incident was a "freak event" that no-one could have planned or foreseen.

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PC Harper, from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, had been married for just four weeks to his childhood sweetheart before his death.

Within weeks, he and his wife had been thanks to have their honeymoon within the Maldives.

Speaking after the verdicts, Mrs Harper said: "No sentence or verdict will ever bring my incredible, selfless and heroic husband back.

"The results from this trial I had hoped would bring justice - but actually make no difference to the heart-wrenching pain i will be able to still pity the remainder of my life.

"Andrew was taken from us thereon horrendous night last year, his life was stolen and therefore the lives of his family and friends altered forever."

She added that she now faced her "own life sentence" which might be "much more painful" than those that would be imprisoned for causing her husband's death.

At the Old Bailey
By Michael Race, BBC News

Proceedings against PC Andrew Harper's three teenage killers are suffering from disruption.

As the country went into lockdown over Covid-19, the primary trial collapsed two-thirds of the way through the prosecution's case.

Security at that trial in March had been stepped up after police said that they had uncovered a possible plot by "associates of the defendants to intimidate the jury".

When a replacement jury was sworn in three months later for the retrial, there have been strict social distancing guidelines in situ .

Towards the top of the second trial, on 17 July, a juror was seen by a jail officer mouthing "goodbye boys" to 3 defendants as she left the courtroom.

Mr Justice Edis discharged her, saying her "surprising conduct" might be seen as a "display of partiality towards these defendants".

The 11 remaining jurors, who weren't present when the actions of their fellow juror were discussed, were told they might still try the defendants and therefore the juror's removal had nothing to try to to with the facts of the case.

It took them 12 hours and 22 minutes of deliberations to succeed in their verdicts.

Long, from College Piece, Mortimer, Reading, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder along side Bowers and Cole.

Cole, of Paices Hill near Reading, Bowers, of Moat Close, Bramley, and Long all admitted conspiracy to steal a quad bike.

The defendants are thanks to be sentenced next Friday.

Jaswant Kaur Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern, said: "This may be a truly heart-breaking case during which a young policeman with everything to seem forward to tragically lost his life within the line of duty.

"He was killed trying to prevent suspects who were prepared to travel to any lengths to urge away with their crime."