PC’s ‘killer’ gave Fast And Furious DVD alibi

THE driver of a car that dragged a policeman to his death claimed when arrested that he had been at home watching The Fast And The Furious street-racing film, a court heard.

PC Andrew Harper, 28, was thrown about ‘like a rag doll’ when his ankles became entangled in a tow cable as he stopped the theft of a £10,000 quad bike in Berkshire on August 15, the Old Bailey was told yesterday.

The officer was left with horrific injuries after being dragged for 91 seconds for more than a mile through Bradfield Southend and at speeds of 40mph.

Henry Long, 18, who lived on a nearby campsite, has since admitted he was driving the Seat Toledo, but Brian Altman, QC, prosecuting, said he initially lied, claiming he was watching DVDs and went to bed more than an hour before PC Harper’s death.

‘Catastrophic’ injuries

When he was arrested in the early hours of August 16 last year, Long asked police: ‘Do I look like a murderer?’

During interview, Long’s solicitor read a statement which said: ‘I got to Four Houses Caravan Site about 8.30pm and I stayed there all evening. We watched DVDs. One was [the] Goonies, [another was] Fast And Furious. I went to bed I think around 10.30pm. Police woke me up.’

PC Harper suffered ‘utterly catastrophic’ injuries, the court heard, and was breathing when he was found in the road by colleagues, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Long, from Mortimer, and two 17-year-olds, who cannot be named for legal reasons, all deny murdering the Thames Valley Police officer in August last year. They admit conspiring to steal the bike and Long has admitted the manslaughter of PC Harper.

The trial continues.