";s:4:"text";s:15913:"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. The best way he could describe it was like a waterskier, he said: Feet whipped forward and you land on your back thats how Harps fell.. A tragic series of events that led to the "gruesome discovery" of Pc Andrew Harper lying catastrophically injured in a country lane has been played out in court. 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. Grieving officers lay tributes for killed newlywed colleague Pc Andrew Harper. Deborah Adlam spoke after her son's killers Henry Long, 19 . The series of events that led to the "gruesome discovery" of PC Andrew Harper lying injured on a country lane has been played out to a court. Deborah Adlam spoke after her son's killers Henry Long, 19, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, where convicted of manslaughter. Tributes from Pc Harper's family have been left on Facebook with his grandmother, Maureen Shrimpton, writing: "Just a really horrible day. Det Supt Blaik said the defendants made a "conscious decision" "not to assist the police" and said their family and friends had tried to "frustrate" the investigation. Police officers raided a council-run travellers' site, Four Houses Corner in Reading near Burghfield Common on Friday night (August 16). Blue silk posies tied to street posts marked the area where the 28-year-old Thames Valley police officer fell after being dragged more than a mile behind a car on the night of August 15 last year. As the retrial began in June, new jurors were placed 2m (6ft 6in) apart, while members of the press and the public followed proceedings on monitors in neighbouring courtrooms. PC Andrew Harper Thames Valley Police officer Andrew Harper died while on duty on Thursday, August 15 after responding to reports of a burglary between Reading and Newbury. Homeowner Peter Wallis called 999 to report a group stealing his quad bike in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, at 11.17pm on 15 August last year. [14] In a separate operation, a 20-year-old man from Pingewood was arrested on suspicion of murder. Relatives of PC Harper have also paid tribute on social media to the "loveliest person that you will ever meet". Chef, Sarah and Harry.". 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. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. One tribute, accompanied by an image of PC Harper smiling with a friend, said: "Harps, I am truly gutted. He will be loved forever.". I have no motivation or even daily routine - chores or cooking a meal, it just feels pointless now. '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.'. ", He responds: "There's all sorts of pieces of wood out there, they can pick up anything. Jurors stopped briefly to examine posts at the side of the road on Lambdens Hill before disembarking at the A4 crossing. Jurors in the PC Andrew Harper murder case were today shown the alleged quad bike thieves' battered Seat with a tow rope that dragged the officer to his death. They were acquitted on the charge of murder. (3) Bowers and Cole's applications for permission to appeal against their convictions. My sister's first born. 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. 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. The 28-year-old was killed when he was dragged behind a car. The trio made off down when PC Harper and PC Shaw confronted them head-on in their unmarked BMW. Almost a year on from his death, three teenagers - Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole - have been convicted of the manslaughter of PC Harper. Our love goes to his lovely wife, Mum and Dad, brother and all of his family and friends. 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. 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. 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. Newlywed Pc Andrew Harper, 28, became entangled in a tow rope attached to their Seat Toledo as he tried to catch them and was dragged to his death. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. 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[5][28][29], The trial was temporarily suspended on 17 and 18 March as a member of the jury was unwell. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Ukrainian ministers killed in helicopter crash, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Celebrities who say their children will get no inheritance, Baby among six killed in possible cartel hit in US, Polar bear kills woman and boy in Alaska village. Widow Mrs Harper told the court: "This is my third attempt at writing a statement. You can be satisfied I am now a shadow of the person I once was. In the next 15 seconds Cole removed the loop of strapping from the handlebars of the quad bike, Mr Laidlaw told the court. Photographs of the pair on their wedding day at Ardington House, a Georgian manor in Oxfordshire, have been released. The victim was likely knocked unconscious from the moment he hit the ground with a post-mortem revealing 'very serious injury to the brain,' the court heard. The killers have been jailed for a total of 42 years. It would be a virtual certainty,' the prosecutor said. "I want to be angry that your job took you away from us but I know you loved it and always wanted to keep everyone safe, especially me," she said. BerkshireLive email updates: We . An officer has shared the moment he made the gruesome discovery of PC Andrew Harper who was lying gravely injured in a country lane. She added: "Every ounce of beautiful peace - gone. An Old Bailey jury acquitted all three defendants of murder on Friday, instead convicting Cole and Bowers of manslaughter. [13] The SEAT, with Harper still being dragged behind, arrived at the lane's junction with the A4 Bath Roadapproximately 1 mile (1.6km) from where the police came upon the suspects. His grandmother Maureen Shrimpton wrote: "Just a really horrible day. "Our superman, our bodyguard, our light in the dark. [33], On 31 July, Long was sentenced to 16 years and both Bowers and Cole to 13 years in prison. At the time of the killing last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the officer's death was "the most powerful reminder that police officers up and down the country put themselves at risk every single day to keep us safe". [5][13] Shaw arrived at the location to find another officer tending to Harper,[19] who was pronounced dead by paramedics at 23:45. 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. So proud of him. Joe Middleton For Mailonline, Russian pro-war fanatic warns Britain could be 'wiped off the map'. "So proud of him. "[That] is consistent with our current belief that Andrew was caught between a vehicle and the road and then dragged for a distance.". [12][18] The SEAT crossed the A4 into Ufton Lane near Sulhamstead, and Harper became disentangled. 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. [27] Long, who was driving the SEAT,[11] had previously admitted manslaughter and conspiracy to steal a quad bike. For the first time, jurors heard the details of PC Harper's brutal killing - many of which were too graphic for publication. She said the teenagers who were found not guilty of murder "took more than one life away that day, they stole the person I used to be". Finally, our thoughts remain with Andrews friends, family and colleagues.. 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. [30] During this subsequently abandoned trial, Thames Valley Police said they had received intelligence suggesting possible jury intimidation. However, how he came to be between the vehicle in the first place is unknown at this point. They then spent half an hour examining the thieves' battered silver Seat parked nose to nose with PC Harper's dark grey police car in a reconstruction of their 'confrontation' in Admoor Lane. Its clear he has a catastrophic series of injuries and theres nothing that can be done for him.. On Wednesday, a jury in their retrial retraced the route the thieves took, walking the final leg across the A4 to view the place where PC Harper died. Earlier, jurors had boarded a grey coach at the Old Bailey in central London and travelled to Berkshire for a first-hand view of key locations in the tragedy. PC Harper and his crew mate PC Andrew Shaw responded to the call even though their shift had ended. In July 2020, three teenage males were found guilty of manslaughter and received sentences of 16 and 13 years imprisonment. "There will always be a part of my heart missing now. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. [7][8] They had been expecting to go on their honeymoon in mid-August. He then learned that another officer reported a "body in the road" close to the A4. Mr Laidlaw said Long drove at an average speed of at least 42.5mph down the windy road. ", 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.". [2] Investigations showed that Harper was dragged 1 mile (1.6km) in 91 seconds, with the defendants averaging 42.5 miles per hour (68.4km/h). In a murder trial reconstruction on Wednesday, more than a dozen uniformed police officers stood silent guard as jurors visited the place, in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, where PC Harper died in the line of duty. It looked like a rag doll.". "Andrew will never grace us with his smile - his compassion and selfless generosity. 'During the course of that high-speed journey, and until at last he became disentangled, his police uniform was quite literally ripped and stripped from his body. He was a rapid response officer with the force's roads and traffic command. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Read about our approach to external linking. 'I'm afraid PC Harper was killed in truly shocking circumstances,' he said. Chilling footage from the police car played to jurors showed the moment PC Harper left the vehicle to chase the thief. Harry Howard
We continue our appeal to anyone with any information about this incident to contact police by visiting our website or calling 101. You obviously did your best to attend to Pc Harper. Detectives investigating the death of a police officer have said he died of "multiple injuries", as they were given more time to question 10 suspects. "I will spend every day for the rest of my life with a hole that will never be filled. On August 15 last year, PC Harper attended reports of a quad bike theft in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, at about 11.17pm. Jurors were shown harrowing video footage of the incident recorded on a camera attached to the officers unmarked BMW patrol car. Video report by ITV News Correspondent Lucy Watson. ";s:7:"keyword";s:31:"pc andrew harper autopsy report";s:5:"links";s:223:"Merle Reskin Obituary,
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