OF HERO OFFICER ON THEIR AGONY Killer moaned about missing his mum’s birthday but we’ll never get a card or phone call from our grandson again
He was a special guy and they took his life away. They don’t care CYRIL SHRIMPTON
PC HARPER’S GRANDAD
reports of a stolen quad bike in Sulhamstead, Berks. As he attempted to apprehend the gang, his ankles got “lassooed” by a strap hanging from their Seat Toledo and he was dragged to his death at up to 60mph.
After the trio were cleared of murder, the officer’s widow Lissie, 29, described her husband as “selfless, beautiful and heroic” and called his killers’ actions “barbaric and brutal”.
Criticising the manslaughter verdicts Lissie, who had been due to go on honeymoon with her husband in the Maldives before he was killed, said: “I am, for the second time in a year, utterly shocked and appalled.”
Today, we can reveal that as Bowers awaited trial he sent cards home to his family and his mother Donna put images of them on Facebook.
Alongside two drawings of golfers he sent notes littered with spelling errors, including: “Mum I know it ain’t a birthday card but I had to send you...
“I know it probley wont the best birthday but I’ll be out one day and we will have a better day wont we.
“Hope you had the best day you could of had. I pot two golf piks in that I done while I’ve been sat in me room bored. Love you mum xxxx”
In March, he even sent his mother a £5 shopping voucher, saying: “Happy mothers day to the best mum I could wish for. Loves you all the world.
“Glad I got a mum like you couldn’t wish for a better mum. Can’t wait to be back home with you.
Loves you all the world xxxx”
Bowers also sent an equally semiliterate birthday card to his father, saying: “How old you now got to be 40 now. Few more year you’ll be on the pentchen. Don’t drink too much in all them pubs open lol”.
And in a card to his sister he whined: “I wish I was out with ya.”
Bowers, Cole and Long caused outrage with their shameless behaviour before being convicted of manslaughter at the Old Bailey.
The trio disgusted jurors as they smirked and laughed while the court heard how PC Harper was swung “like a pendulum” on the winding road near Reading, Berks.
Yet Bowers was so bored he dozed off as the prosecution showed jurors video footage of the horror.
At an earlier magistrates hearing, the three had clowned around in front of photographers, posing for the camera and flicking V signs.
Bowers, Cole and Long – who was the driver of the car – were arrested at a travellers’ camp hours after PC Harper was killed. People living nearby said they were part of a ruthless band who “caused havoc”.