PC Harper, who would have been knocked unconscious, had suffered horrific injuries and died at the scene. "Feet whipped forward and you land on your back - that's how Harps fell," PC Shaw said. On August 15 last year, PC Harper attended reports of a quad bike theft in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, at about 11.17pm. [20] On 19 August, the 20-year-old was charged with murder. When he told the operator he was going outside to stop the thieves, he was told not to - but Mr Wallis continued to refuse. Earlier today we sought a 36 hour extension to their custody, and this was granted at Reading Magistrates Court. During the investigation, police officers and staff took 1,250 statements, visited more than 1,000 homes and pursued 1,122 lines of inquiry. At 11.17pm on August 15 last year, homeowner Peter Wallis called 999 to report thieves making off with his quad bike in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire. Cole ran directly past the police car and dived through the backseat passenger window after the officer came close to catching him in the interception at around 11.38pm, jurors were told. Police forces,. PC Harper's widow Lissie described being in "a lost and endless world" after her husband was killed in the line of duty, a month after their wedding day. PC Andrew Harper, 28, was responding to a burglary report on Thursday in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, when he was dragged along the road by a vehicle. [36] Harper's MP, John Howell, had said that he intended to ask for a review of the sentences. The Old Bailey was told how Mr Wallis confronted the thieves earlier in the day and was at home when they returned after dark, in gloves and masks. PC Shaw told jurors he set off in the car to find his colleague and came across his stab vest further down the lane. Colleagues of PC Andrew Harper will be giving evidence on day four of his murder trial at the Old Bailey. 'The officer would be killed. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: "What then follows, you leave the car and had the gruesome discovery that body is your colleague. 'He was barely alive and PC Harper died soon after where he lay in Ufton Lane in the company of fellow officers who had tried desperately to save him. [9], At 23:17 on 15 August 2019, Thames Valley Police received a 999 call from a property near Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, reporting a burglary-in-progress and theft of a quad bike. The A4 Bath road was also closed again yesterday (August 17) while police officers carried out searches. Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile at 50 to 70mph, causing his death. Comments have been closed on this article. POLICE detectives have revealed the cause of death of PC Andrew Harper following the murder investigation which launched on Thursday night (August 15). The first stop was the Bull Inn, where the defendants were allegedly spotted before a first failed attempt to steal the quad bike. He said: 'What we suggest will become clear to you from the evidence was that this was not some sort of opportunistic or spur of the moment theft committed by these three young men. and Mr Justice Edis told them: 'The vehicles have been put in similar positions to the position they would have been in during part of the incident.'. 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It was a decision that would cost PC Harper his life. It's clear he has a catastrophic series of injuries and there's nothing that can be done for him.". A coroner carried out a Post Mortem report to determine the cause of death, which has been recorded as "multiple injuries". Jurors in the PC Andrew Harper murder case were today shown the alleged quad bike thieves' battered Seat with a tow rope that dragged the officer to his death. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. PC Shaw told jurors: "I thought maybe he slipped on something. Asked if he was home alone, Mr Wallis said: Yeah. Giving evidence, Pc Shaw described the moment his colleague appeared to fall over and disappear from view. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Long had previously admitted the same offence. Grieving officers lay tributes for killed newlywed colleague Pc Andrew Harper. We continue our appeal to anyone with any information about this incident to contact police by visiting our website or calling 101. ", He responds: "There's all sorts of pieces of wood out there, they can pick up anything. Harper, a 28-year-old Thames Valley police officer, was . hometown of Wallingford in Oxfordshire decorated shop windows with ribbons representing the "thin blue line". [22] A fourth male, a 21-year-old from Basingstoke, was charged with conspiracy to steal a quad bike and subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge. They then spent half an hour examining the thieves' battered silver Seat parked nose to nose with PC Harper's dark grey police car in a reconstruction of their 'confrontation' in Admoor Lane. READ MORE: Murder investigation launched. 'But the prosecution case is that it must have been very quickly clear to Henry Long, who was after all at the wheel of the car, that the vehicle was now dragging somebody behind it.'. Pc Shaw told jurors: I thought maybe he slipped on something. Read about our approach to external linking. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. ROLL OF HONOUR. PC Andrew Harper was killed in Berkshire on Thursday, Police officers have been at a caravan site near to the scene where PC Harper was killed, Tributes to PC Harper have been laid at the scene, One message described PC Harper as "Thames Valley's finest", PC Harper got married to his fiance Lissie just four weeks ago. "Broken, distraught, beaten, a void, an empty shell. Advertisement. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: 'PC Shaw's description of PC Harper's disappearance from his view, was that it was as if he had lost his footing while water skiing, in other words with the feet being whipped forward and his body being thrown back. Our love goes to his lovely wife, Mum and Dad, brother and all of his family and friends. [2], On 18 September, 18-year-old Henry Long and 17-year-olds Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were charged with murder. [41] Police officers raided a council-run travellers' site, Four Houses Corner in Reading near Burghfield Common on Friday night (August 16). [5][28][29], The trial was temporarily suspended on 17 and 18 March as a member of the jury was unwell. Mr Laidlaw said: 'Henry Long continued to drive at speed for the next mile or so and he drove in a manner calculated to dislodge or shake the officer free from the strapping. It looked like a rag doll.". "So proud of him. ", After a pause, he adds: "F*** me they've already taken it.". "He was the loveliest person that you will ever meet. 'With his ankles caught in a strap that was trailing behind a car being driven along a country lane, he was dragged at speed for over a mile along the road surface, swung from side to side like a pendulum in an effort to dislodge him. he did not know PC Harper was attached to the vehicle. On Wednesday, a jury in their retrial retraced the route the thieves took, walking the final leg across the A4 to view the place where PC Harper died. The 12 men and women were accompanied by barristers, the trial judge and members of the press for the trip held under strict social distancing rules. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Chilling footage from the police car played to jurors showed the moment PC Harper left the vehicle to chase the thief. 'That as a description is supported by the findings at post-mortem, where the pathologist found that PC Harper had suffered a very severe injury to the brain which is likely to have rendered him unconscious, presumably from the back of his head striking the ground.'. Bowers was in the car as a passenger when PC Harper was killed. PC Harper was killed last August when he was dragged for more than a mile behind a car after trying to intercept quad bike thieves. A small circle of blue and white painted stones had been laid on the verge in tribute to the officer, with one saying 'when your heart stopped beating a part of me died'. Harper's widow had made a victim impact statement and later released an open letter, in which she implored Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel to allow a retrial seeking a murder verdict. A 999 call, played in court, heard how owner Peter Wallis said four masked men were outside his home with weapons and how he asked for someone to attend. The officer had been married for just four weeks. Long, from Mortimer, Reading, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder and said he did not know PC Harper was attached to the vehicle. 'It was a senseless killing of a young police officer in the line of duty, a young man who was doing no more than his job.'. Editors' Code of Practice. Mrs Harper said her husband was the "kindest, loveliest, most selfless person you will ever meet". "Four weeks was all I had with my husband - four weeks to be called his wife. Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car down a country road, making him to sustain injuries that led to his death . [10][11] Harper and fellow constable Andrew Shaw, who were finishing a surveillance shift in Reading,[5] responded to the call in their unmarked BMW police car. As the documentary recalled. The victim was likely knocked unconscious from the moment he hit the ground with a post-mortem revealing 'very serious injury to the brain,' the court heard. In respect of our investigation, we are interviewing those in custody, carrying out house to house enquiries, obtaining and reviewing CCTV footage, undertaking forensic examination, and taking witness statements.". "Andrew will never grace us with his smile - his compassion and selfless generosity. [35] In his summary, on the matter as to whether the jury had been subject to any improper pressure, Edis said: "To the best of my knowledge and belief there is no truth in that at all". "Our grandson Andrew was killed last night while doing his police work. In a murder trial reconstruction on Wednesday, more than a dozen uniformed police officers stood silent guard as jurors visited the place, in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, where PC Harper died in the line of duty. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. "My life often feels bleak, hopeless, irreparable. Det Supt Blaik said PC Harper "paid the ultimate price" for going beyond the call of duty, but added "that is what police officers do up and down the country, day in and day out". Police search the scene, where Thames Valley Police officer Pc Andrew Harper, 28, died following a 'serious incident'. PC Andrew Harper Thames Valley Police officer Andrew Harper died while on duty on Thursday, August 15 after responding to reports of a burglary between Reading and Newbury. The driver of the car, Henry Long, 19, and passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, from near Reading, have all admitted conspiracy to steal the quad bike, but have denied the murder of PC Harper. Lists of casualties sustained by the New Zealand forces in the recent fighting on the western front were telegraphed b [45] In June 2020, Thames Valley Police have named the newest horse of their mounted section "Harper" as a tribute. Jurors were shown harrowing video footage of the incident recorded on a camera attached to the officers unmarked BMW patrol car. YESTERDAY'S LISTS. PC Andrew Harper murder trial jurors are taken to place where he died to see reconstruction of how 'he was dragged to his death snared in tow rope behind battered Seat Toledo' Pc Harper. "We are shocked and saddened by the death of our colleague". Subscribe to one or all notification sources from this one place. [6] On 18 July 2019, Harper married his partner of 13 years, Lissie (ne Beckett). "We go towards trouble, we don't run away from it," he said. Ms Kent also urged the public not to speculate on the circumstances of the incident. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. A few locals out walking dogs in the light drizzle were seen stopping to stare as the convoy went by. But theyre not taking my damn bike. He said there was no evidence Bowers or Cole attempted to persuade Long to stop the vehicle. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. However, the trial collapsed due to the coronavirus lockdown. The pair. The court heard homeowner Peter Wallis had reported masked thieves making off with the valuable Honda quad bike from his house in Bradfield Southend, near Reading, at 11.17pm. "It's been really emotional for people that knew him, but we didn't realise how much other people felt the same grief," he told the BBC. PC Harper and his crew mate PC Andrew Shaw responded to the call even though their shift had ended. PC Andrew Harper was "doing no more than his job" when he was dragged for more than a mile to his death after his feet got caught in a strap trailing behind a suspect's getaway car. Earlier, jurors had boarded a grey coach at the Old Bailey in central London and travelled to Berkshire for a first-hand view of key locations in the tragedy. PC Harper had been dragged for more than a mile for 91 seconds, at an average speed of 42.5mph, before his body was dislodged. 'Of one thing the prosecution will say you can be sure is this: at whatever the cost, these three defendants were quite determined that they should get away without being caught.'. For the first time, jurors heard the details of PC Harper's brutal killing - many of which were too graphic for publication. The killers have been jailed for a total of 42 years. [2] Investigations showed that Harper was dragged 1 mile (1.6km) in 91 seconds, with the defendants averaging 42.5 miles per hour (68.4km/h). Detectives investigating the death of a police officer have said he died of "multiple injuries", as they were given more time to question 10 suspects. "I want to be angry that your job took you away from us but I know you loved it and always wanted to keep everyone safe, especially me," she said. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: What then follows, you leave the car and had the gruesome discovery that body is your colleague. www.bbc.co.uk One charged with his murder. His funeral was. Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, said he had received messages from members of the public whom PC Harper had helped. Detective supt Kent added: I want to thank local residents for their patience and cooperation while we carried out this vital work, and other enquiries at a number of other scenes across West Berkshire. "That's the reason in particular this question defeats me - unless you have stood in my shoes, lost a soulmate, a beloved partner you intended to spend your life with - how is this grief possible to describe? Ten males aged between 13 and 30 have been arrested on suspicion of murder. In a frantic 999 call just before 11.17pm Peter Wallis told the operator: 'I've got four masked men outside my house and they've got weapons Handheld things * handheld piece of wood or something.'. A tragic series of events that led to the "gruesome discovery" of Pc Andrew Harper lying catastrophically injured in a country lane has been played out in court. Her campaign proposes that those convicted of manslaughter over the death of a blue-light worker while committing a crime should . Three teenagers are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murder over an incident in Berkshire last August. PC Harper's crew-mate described the moment that the officer appeared to fall and slip away from view during a robbery. By Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can be satisfied I am now a shadow of the person I once was. Lissie broke down twice as she read from her victim impact statement at the Old Bailey. [11][15], The SEAT was later found at Four Houses Corner travellers' site[20] near Burghfield Common[21] by a police helicopter using thermal imaging. ", Ms Kent continued: "In respect of our investigation, we are interviewing those in custody, carrying out house-to-house inquiries, obtaining and reviewing CCTV footage, undertaking extensive forensic examination and taking witness statements.". Detective Supt Ailsa Kent added: "I can confirm that the males were arrested from a local authority-run caravan and mobile home site, Four Houses Corner, in Reading Road near Burghfield Common. As Pc Harper tried to apprehend one the suspects, his ankles got caught on a tow rope attached to their Seat Toledo and he was dragged to his death. Thames Valley Police said on Saturday it had been granted an extra 36 hours to question the suspects. [14][20], At 00:50 on 16 August, police arrested an 18-year-old male and a 17-year-old male at the caravan site. He approved measures to provide a private room for jurors to use throughout the trial and ordered that anyone using the public gallery must provide photographic identification. In the call, Mr Wallis added: Theres all sorts of pieces of wood out there, they can pick up anything. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. His grandmother Maureen Shrimpton wrote: "Just a really horrible day. Their sentences in respect of the manslaughter convictions were not altered. Blue silk posies tied to street posts marked the area where the 28-year-old Thames Valley police officer fell after being dragged more than a mile behind a car on the night of August 15 last year. Football teams held silences before kick-off and the officer's hometown of Wallingford in Oxfordshire decorated shop windows with ribbons representing the "thin blue line". A Post Mortem was carried out on Andrews body yesterday, and the cause of death has been recorded as multiple injuries. "Unwittingly" stepping with both feet into the trailing tow-strap, the officer became "lassoed" to the vehicle as it sped off and dragged him just over a mile before he became detached from the vehicle and died in the road. Separately, Harper's mother launched a campaign to require killers of police officers to receive minimum jail terms of 20 years. Security around the first trial into PC Harper's death was stepped up after police uncovered a plot by "associates of the defendants to intimidate the jury". In the call played in court, Mr Wallis said they had hand-held things and were all masked, as he asked the operator to send someone to his house. Ms Kent told a press conference: "A post-mortem was carried out on Andrew's body yesterday and the cause of death has been recorded as multiple injuries. Sign up to the Daily Star's newsletter. Mark White Home affairs correspondent @skymarkwhite Monday 30 November 2020 17:47, UK The 28-year-old's death, in Berkshire, left the country stunned and has this week. Three teenagers have been convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, who died in Berkshire last year, after being dragged for a mile along a country . "He was clearly a man who, in his short time, touched many lives," Mr Barber added. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. The trio made off down when PC Harper and PC Shaw confronted them head-on in their unmarked BMW. [8] On 28 January 2020, Harper was given a posthumous award by the Police Federation of England and Wales. "He will never get to be called 'daddy' or hold his own child - we imagined this was not too far away in the future. The best way he could describe it was like a waterskier, he said: "Feet whipped forward and you land on your back - that's how Harps fell.". An Old Bailey jury acquitted all three defendants of murder on Friday, instead convicting Cole and Bowers of manslaughter. PC Andrew Harper died a hero in the line of duty. 'With Jessie Cole now in the car, Henry Long drove off at speed, flooring the accelerator to make good their escape. Police officers launched a murder probe following a "serious incident" which took place at around 11.30pm near to the crossroads of Ufton Lane and Lambdens Hill, near Sulhampstead between Reading and Newbury.