KILLERS' HOME
‘It’s insulting’, cries PC Andrew Harper’s mum over £3m plan to refurb traveller site where ‘barbaric’ killers arrested
PC Harper's killers were seen smirking and laughing during their trial
THE MUM of PC Andrew Harper has slammed council plans to refurb a traveller site where her son's “barbaric” killers were arrested.
Newlywed PC Andrew Harper, was killed while on duty trying to stop three teens stealing a quad bike in 2019.
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The 28-year-old officer died after he became tangled in a tow rope behind the getaway car.
He was dragged along a road by a vehicle going speeds of more than 40mph in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, on August 15, 2019.
His killers, Henry Long, 19, and 18-year-olds Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were arrested after cops swooped on a traveller camp on the outskirts of Basingstoke, Hants.
A fourth defendant, Thomas King, was also sentenced in 2020 to two years after he admitted conspiracy to steal a quad bike.
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Now, PC Harper’s mum Debbie Adlam, has told of her fury at West Berkshire Council's plan to spend £3.5million on refurbishing the camp.
Ms Adlam fears it could mean she could come face to face with her son’s killers when they’re released from jail.
She told : "I think it's a deep feeling of lack of respect for any of us. They want to give them back their normal lives.
“It's likely [the site will] go ahead. I can't see it not happening.”
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PC Harper's devastated wife Lissie wed her childhood sweetheart, 28, four weeks before his death.
The couple had been planning their honeymoon together when he was killed while in the line of duty.
PC Harper attended a suspected burglary with a colleague in a marked car at 11.30pm on Thursday, August 15, 2019.
He had just left his vehicle when he was struck by a car at a country crossroads, close to Sulhamstead and the A4 Bath Road between Reading and Newbury.
He fell beneath the vehicle and was dragged a “considerable” distance, caught in a tow rope.
His killers claimed they had no idea they were pulling PC Harper behind them - and were instead convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
They were seen smirking and laughing during the trial, Bowers even fell asleep while footage of PC Harper's death was shown.
As a police officer you are a target. They say things along the lines of 'We will do another one’.
PC Harper’s mum Debbie Adlam
In 2020, the camp was abandoned and the residents were given council homes nearby.
But West Berkshire Council has now applied for planning permission to spend £3.5million on 'reviving' the camp.
Ms Adlam added: 'I think [the site] should be diluted so it's not just the same people in there. There's been a lot of harassment of officers, teasing of officers about Andrew.
“As a police officer you are a target. They say things along the lines of '’We will do another one’.”
Bill Bagnal, the project manager and applicant for the site's refurbishment, said they have a “legal right” to return to the site that has been used by travellers for 40 years/
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He says the revival “provides an opportunity for a fresh start and maximises the ability to have the site reoccupied in a tidy, safe and thoughtful manner”.
The Sun has contacted Thames Valley Police, The Traveller Movement and West Berkshire Council for comment.
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