ANYONE convicted of killing an emergency services worker while committing a crime will face a mandatory life sentence, after a change in the law.
It follows tireless campaigning by Lissie Harper, the widow of PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in the line of duty while answering a late-night burglary call.
The Oxfordshire officer, 28, died from his injuries when he was caught in a strap attached to the back of a getaway car and dragged down a winding country road as his teenage killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft on August 15, 2019.
READ ALSO: Sentences NOT changed for PC Harper killers
Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were handed 13 years in custody over the manslaughter.
Long, the leader of the group, admitted manslaughter, while passengers Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey.
All three were cleared of murder by the jury.
The sentences prompted Mrs Harper to lobby the Government to better protect emergency services workers on the front line.
In November, the Government announced the legal reform – Harper’s Law – which came into force today.
The law will not be retrospective, meaning PC Harper’s killers cannot have their sentences extended.
The Court of Appeal previously rejected a bid by the Attorney General to increase their sentences.
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice
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