Lissie’s hope for Harper’s Law
THE widow of Pc Andrew Harper has sought to dispel “misleading” and “harmful” claims about her campaign for a new law meaning those who kill emergency workers are jailed for life.
Lissie Harper wrote in a blog post that she was “immensely grateful” for the public’s support of an online petition calling for Harper’s Law, which was approaching 650,000 signatures yesterday.
However, Mrs Harper said she wanted to address some “incorrect statements” that were circulating on social media in relation to the campaign.
“I have no intention of providing running commentaries but it’s important to right some wrongs that are being said,” she said.
“Harper’s Law will be a law in which will mean that a person found guilty of killing a police officer, firefighter, nurse, doctor, paramedic or prison officer as a direct result of a crime they have committed, then they would be jailed for life.
“This means that a life sentence would be imposed, asking for a minimum term in prison. Details we plan to discuss with politicians and decision makers soon.
“Harper’s Law is not asking for whole life orders, nor has it ever mentioned a life sentence for manslaughter.
“Any suggestion that this is what we are asking for is misleading, deliberately harmful and incorrect. I have no plans to strive for any legislation of this sort.”
Mrs Harper is due to meet with Home Secretary Priti Patel next month for talks in an effort to harness political support for the new law.
She and her 28-year-old husband, a Thames Valley Police offer, had been married for just four weeks when he and a colleague responded to a burglary in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August last year.