Trio ‘failed to do the right thing’ during inquiry, says detective
THE detective who helped bring the killers of Pc Andrew Harper to justice has said they and their families showed “complete contempt” for the police, as he described how they sought to frustrate the investigation at every turn.
Det Supt Stuart Blaik, the senior investigating officer from Thames Valley Police, said Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole had lied constantly and had even tried to get rid of evidence.
He said they had enjoyed the support of their extended family as they tried to deny responsibility for killing the newly married officer who was bravely trying to stop them stealing a quad bike last August.
The three men, members of west Berkshire’s traveller community, were arrested at the Four Corners caravan site, just minutes after PC Harper was found lying dead in the road.
But all three sought to frustrate the investigation by inventing false alibis, with Long even claiming he had been sat with his cousins all evening watching Fast & Furious.
As he was arrested, he told the officer: “Look at me, do I look like a murderer.” At the police station, the seasoned criminal remarked: “I don’t give a f--- about any of this.”
Det Supt Blaik said throughout the investigation, the three killers had “failed to do the right thing”.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “They told lies, they have tried to get rid of evidence, they have had support from the wider family network again to try to frustrate the investigation.
“It was very clear that night early on that they were suspected of one of the most serious offences you could ever imagine, yet they chose to tell lies and say nothing. What it shows is the complete contempt for what we were dealing with when they could have and should have the right thing.”
Pc Harper was killed when his ankles became tangled in a crane strap that the gang were using to tow a stolen quad bike behind their getaway car. He was dragged for more than a mile, suffering unimaginable injuries, until his body was ripped free.
Long, Bowers and Cole, were all cleared of murder by the Old Bailey jury, and convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter. But the verdicts came under intense scrutiny after allegations of jury tampering emerged.
Thames Valley Police confirmed they received intelligence about possible jury intimidation in the first trial in
March, which had to be abandoned because of the lockown.
Earlier last month one of the jurors in the second trial had to be discharged after she was heard saying “Bye boys” to the defendants at the end of a day’s evidence. But the trial judge Mr Justice Edis allowed 11 jurors to continue with the case and Thames Valley Police have said there is not a “shred of evidence” that the jury was influenced in anyway. Speaking ahead of the sentencing yesterday, Mr Justice Edis addressed the issue, conceding that the verdicts had caused some controversy.
He said: “I have been made aware that there has been some discussion about the trial and in particular the measures in place for protection of the jury. It may be believed in some quarters the jury were under improper pressure. There is no truth in that at all.” Det Supt Blaik also said there was no evidence of anything untoward.