PC HARPER’S K!.LL3R FLAGGED AS ‘VIOLENT’ AND A ‘RISK TO STAFF’ IN HIGH-SECURITY PRISON… YET HE COULD BE RELEASED EARLY.
VIOLENT RISK
Vile killer of PC Harper listed as ‘violent’ & ‘risk to staff’ at high-security jail despite being set for early release
ONE of PC Andrew Harper’s killers has been listed as a danger to warders behind bars despite being earmarked for freedom under the early release scheme.
Vile Jessie Cole — whose scheduled release alongside Albert Bowers has sparked uproar — is still held in one of the country’s eight high-security prisons as he would pose a danger in a more open jail.
Vile Jessie Cole (right), pictured with Albert Bowers, has been listed as violent and a risk to staff in jail despite being earmarked for freedom under the early release schemeCredit: The Sun
PC Andrew Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019Credit: PA
Cole, 24, jailed over PC Harper’s manslaughter, is marked on files as “violent”, a “risk to staff” and “a climber” by bosses at Whitemoor prison, Cambs.
But he is on a “standard” regime there, so gets £20 of taxpayer cash to spend in the canteen per week, TV and DVD rights plus phone calls
Whitehall insiders said PM Andy Burnham was “increasingly confident” Cole and Bowers would be excluded from the early release scheme.
But a source said: “Jessie should never have been considered for early release because of his crime. But his behaviour and danger risk also show exactly why Jessie is not ready to be freed.
“He is a difficult and dangerous prisoner and a lot of inmates and staff are terrified of him.
“The fact he is in a high-security jail shows that the Prison Service do not see him as someone who will be out soon.
“Normally, an inmate would be moved to a lower-security prison towards the end of their sentence.
“Jessie is still classed as a Category A prisoner too, which is the most dangerous. And he has all these alerts on him which is usually down to behaviour like violence and threats inside.”
Cole (left) and Bowers were jailed in 2020 for newlywed PC Harper’s manslaughter during a burglary getaway in BerkshireCredit: PA
PC Andrew Harper and his wife, LissieCredit: PA
The source added: “He is intimidating and a trained boxer.
“Jessie was also a pain when he was previously at Feltham Young Offender Institution before he was moved to an adult jail. He was known for bullying other lads there. He would also climb to a height to get his own way.
“Jessie would climb on to a second- floor unit and go over railings there if he was protesting at something like missing a gym session.
“Feltham was full of killers and gang members but he was the worst.”
Cole and Bowers were jailed in 2020 for newlywed PC Harper’s manslaughter during a theft getaway in Berkshire.
The fact they could have been freed in January after serving half the sentence — instead of two-thirds — has sparked fury.
More than a million people have signed a petition demanding that the duo — who laughed and sneered during their trial — stay behind bars.
Cole and Bowers were both 17 at the time and passengers in the car driven by Henry Long, who was caged for 16 years and not eligible for early release.
The Government said: “We do not believe these offenders should be let out a day before they were due to, and the PM has asked the Justice
Secretary to urgently fast track a plan to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders, including these individuals, locked up.”
