A MAN accused of the murder of PC Andrew Harper told police as he was charged that he 'didn't give a f*** about any of it'.

Henry Long, 18, and two other 17-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused of murdering the 28-year-old PC on August 15 as he tried to stop them from stealing a £10,000 quad bike.

They all deny the charge.

At the old Bailey yesterday, prosecutor Brian Altman said that PC Harper, an Abingdon-based officer, had been lassoed around his legs and dragged down a country road by a loading strap that the teenagers were using to tow the stolen quad bike behind a Seat Toledo, as he tried to stop them getting away.

He had 'probably' been knocked unconscious instantly as he fell backwards onto the road when he was swept off his feet running behind the car, the court heard.

READ: Our live coverage of the trial yesterday

The silver car was driven by Long, which he admits, for more than a mile before PC Harper became freed from the strap.

In the evidence shown to the jury yesterday, Mr Altman said reconstructions proved that it would have been 'obvious' to Long that something heavy was being dragged behind the car.

Initially Long denied playing any part in the events that night and, when he was first arrested on suspicion of murder, said 'do I look like a murderer?’.

In his interviews he said he had been in bed by 10.30pm that night and that he didn't own a phone.

He also answered 'no comment' to most of the questions put to him, before saying to the interviewing officers: “If something happened and the car was found, say for instance in a housing estate, would everyone on that housing estate get arrested, or is it just a gypsy site where a car gets found, and everyone gets arrested? What’s the difference between a caravan and houses?”

On September 18 at around 4.18pm, Long was charged with murder and conspiracy to steal.

READ: PC Andrew Harper murder trial day one

While he was being cautioned he said: “I don't give a f*** about any of this.” His solicitor encouraged him to be quiet.

Later police found evidence that he did have a mobile phone and that the movements they believed happened that night were consistent with the location of the phone.

All three people charged with his murder later accepted that they were present on the night.

Mr Altman told the court: “These three went on a criminal expedition that August night to steal a new, high value quad bike. They were determined to succeed, having been thwarted once already.

“It ended with the killing of a young police officer.”

The prosecution says the trio had 'very carefully’ planned and thought through how they were going to steal the expensive quad bike and that coming across PC Harper and his crew mate PC Andrew Shaw was a 'hazard for which they had catered'.

Mr Altman said: “They knew they were police.”

He accused Long of 'knowing that he was dragging a policeman'.

Mr Altman added: “The fact that neither Long nor the other two defendants had planned or even wanted PC Harper to become caught in the strap is neither here nor there.”

He said they went out of their way to steal the quad bike and 'if the need arose' were armed to cause 'really serious bodily harm to anyone who sought to disrupt them.”

The trial continues.