Two men convicted over the death of a police officer in Oxfordshire will remain incarcerated after intervention at the highest level of government.

Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole had been scheduled for release before the end of their custodial sentences, having been handed jail terms for their roles in the killing of Police Constable Andrew Harper in 2019.

The prospect of early liberty for the pair provoked fierce objection throughout Oxfordshire and further afield.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has now acted to prevent the releases from proceeding.

The premier commissioned an examination of amendments to the Sentencing Act, with Justice Secretary Alex Norris overseeing the review.

Findings are anticipated following Parliament’s return from its summer recess this week.

The Conservative former Manchester mayor communicated that the government would ensure those serving sentences for sexual offences remain behind bars, along with individuals imprisoned for manslaughter and causing death through dangerous driving.

This policy shift guarantees that those responsible for PC Harper’s murder will not benefit from sentence reductions.

PC Harper, a 28-year-old officer and local resident of Wallingford, died while attending reports of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.

He sustained fatal injuries after being pulled along a rural road behind a vehicle carrying three teenagers who were fleeing the scene.

Henry Long, Jessie Cole, and Albert Bowers received manslaughter convictions in connection with the officer’s death.

Legislative changes under the Sentencing Act 2026, designed to address prison population pressures, had appeared set to enable Cole and Bowers’s premature liberation.

Public response proved substantial, with tens of thousands expressing opposition through attendance at protests and messages of solidarity.

A petition demanding full sentences accumulate more than one million signatures.

PC Harper’s widow, Lisse Harper, condemned the early release mechanism as reprehensible, stating that such determinations undermined principles of justice, accountability, and support for those affected by crime.

The officer’s mother, Debbie Adlam, conveyed her disappointment through BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, characterising the situation as yet another setback for her son.

Chief Constable Jason Hogg recently joined fellow law enforcement leaders in dispatching an open correspondence to the Prime Minister, urging exploration of all legal options to maintain Cole and Bowers’s incarceration.

Hogg emphasised that the matter extended beyond individual circumstances, becoming a debate about judicial integrity, public assurance, and societal recognition of emergency responders’ dedication and peril.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson, whose family resides near Wallingford, added his voice to opposition efforts, describing the proposed releases as extraordinary in commentary for the Daily Mail.

Implementation of the Sentencing Act had initially targeted approximately 6,000 offenders for early liberation.

Subsequent modifications, notably the exclusion of those convicted of historical child sexual offences, are expected to diminish that figure considerably.

Burnham acknowledged the depth of public feeling, stating that he recognised and shared the concern and indignation surrounding the issue.