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Killing of Andrew Harper

SOLVED2019Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On the night of 15 August 2019, police constable Andrew Harper, aged 28, was killed near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, while responding to a report of a burglary in progress. Harper had joined Thames Valley Police as a special constable in 2010, became a regular constable in 2011, and had recently transferred to the force's road policing unit. He had married his partner, Lissie Harper, less than a month before his death.

At 23:17 that night, Thames Valley Police received a 999 call reporting a burglary and theft of a quad bike near Stanford Dingley. Harper and fellow constable Andrew Shaw responded in an unmarked car. After spotting a SEAT Toledo towing the stolen quad bike, Harper left the vehicle to intercept a suspect and became caught in a tow strap. The SEAT then drove off with Harper caught behind it, dragging him roughly a mile in 91 seconds at an average speed of about 42.5 mph before he became disentangled near the junction of Ufton Lane and the A4. He was pronounced dead by paramedics at 23:45. A post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple injuries, consistent with being dragged, including a severe brain injury.

In the hours and days following, police arrested multiple suspects, including at a caravan site located via police helicopter using thermal imaging. Ultimately, 18-year-old Henry Long and 17-year-olds Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were charged with murder; a fourth man was charged separately with conspiracy to steal the quad bike and pleaded guilty to that charge. Charges against a fifth suspect, a 20-year-old previously charged with murder, were discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service in September 2019.

The murder trial began at the Old Bailey in March 2020 but was disrupted first by juror illness and then by the COVID-19 pandemic, which suspended all jury trials in England and Wales. A retrial began in June 2020, during which a juror was discharged after allegedly mouthing "bye boys" to the defendants. On 24 July 2020, the jury acquitted all three defendants of murder. Long, who had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and Bowers and Cole, who were found guilty of manslaughter, were sentenced on 31 July 2020: Long received 16 years' imprisonment, and Bowers and Cole each received 13 years.

Applications to appeal the convictions and sentences—including a request from the Attorney General to review the sentences as unduly lenient—were heard by the Court of Appeal in November 2020 and dismissed in December 2020, apart from a technical correction to sentencing for the conspiracy-to-steal offence that did not change the overall sentences.

Harper's death prompted public tributes, including a funeral attended by over 800 people and a "ride of respect" by motorcyclists. His widow, Lissie Harper, campaigned for a change in sentencing law for those who kill emergency workers. This resulted in "Harper's Law," enacted in April 2022 as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which introduced mandatory life sentences for manslaughter of an on-duty emergency worker committed during another crime. The law did not affect the sentences already given to the three men convicted in connection with Harper's death.

Key facts

Victims
Andrew Harper
Date
2019
Location
Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2019-08-15

    PC Andrew Harper is dragged behind a car for approximately a mile near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, while responding to a burglary call; he is pronounced dead at 23:45.

  2. 2019-08-16

    Police arrest an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old at a caravan site near Burghfield Common; a separate 20-year-old suspect is arrested on suspicion of murder.

  3. 2019-08-19

    A 20-year-old man is charged with murder.

  4. 2019-09-18

    Henry Long, 18, and two 17-year-olds, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, are charged with murder; a fourth man is charged with conspiracy to steal a quad bike.

  5. 2019-09-19

    The Crown Prosecution Service discontinues the case against a previously charged 20-year-old defendant.

  6. 2019-10-14

    Harper's funeral is held at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

  7. 2020-03-10

    Murder trial begins at the Old Bailey.

  8. 2020-03-23

    Trial suspended amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on jury trials.

  9. 2020-06-23

    Retrial begins following changes to COVID-19 lockdown rules.

  10. 2020-07-24

    Long, Bowers, and Cole are acquitted of murder; Long (having pleaded guilty) and Bowers and Cole are convicted of manslaughter.

  11. 2020-07-31

    Long is sentenced to 16 years; Bowers and Cole are each sentenced to 13 years in prison.

  12. 2020-12-16

    Court of Appeal dismisses the Attorney General's unduly-lenient-sentence application and the defendants' appeals against conviction, while correcting a sentencing technicality for the conspiracy-to-steal offence.

  13. 2022-04-28

    "Harper's Law" is added to the statute book as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Andrew Harper

    VICTIM

    Thames Valley Police constable killed on duty on 15 August 2019 after being dragged behind a car near Sulhamstead, Berkshire.

    citation on file

  • Henry Long

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to steal a quad bike; acquitted of murder; sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment.

    citation on file

  • Jessie Cole

    CONVICTED

    Found guilty of manslaughter and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal a quad bike; acquitted of murder; sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment.

    citation on file

  • Albert Bowers

    CONVICTED

    Found guilty of manslaughter and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal a quad bike; acquitted of murder; sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment.

    citation on file

Places

Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England

51.4167, -1.0833

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Thames Valley Police constable Andrew Harper died on 15 August 2019 near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, after being dragged behind a car for about a mile while responding to a burglary call. Three teenage males were convicted of manslaughter and acquitted of murder in July 2020, and his widow's campaign led to "Harper's Law" mandating life sentences for killing emergency workers.
Where did the killing happen?
Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England.
Who was convicted?
Henry Long (Pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to steal a quad bike; acquitted of murder; sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment.), Jessie Cole (Found guilty of manslaughter and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal a quad bike; acquitted of murder; sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment.), and Albert Bowers (Found guilty of manslaughter and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal a quad bike; acquitted of murder; sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Killing of Andrew Harperwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Guardiannews · The Guardian · 2026-07-07
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