Ministers are facing growing pressure over plans to release early the men convicted of killing Thames Valley Police officer PC Andrew Harper, with the force in which he served now considering whether to join a legal challenge to block their release.
Justice minister Jake Richards defended the decision on Tuesday, acknowledging the «unimaginable pain» the Harper family has suffered. He said the government found itself in an «unenviable position», a phrase that captured the difficulty of defending a policy that has provoked fury among police officers and drawn public criticism from the officer's widow.
Thames Valley Police is examining the possibility of becoming a party to legal proceedings aimed at preventing the killers from being freed early. The consideration follows a threat of legal action from the police federation, which has reacted furiously to the government's move and made clear that it regards the proposed release as unacceptable.
The officer's widow, Lissie Harper, said she felt «punched in the gut» by the decision to press ahead with the plans. The strength of her language has added to the sense of shock among serving officers and their families, many of whom believe that allowing the killers to leave prison before completing their sentences would compound the original tragedy.
Mr Richards said he understood why the case provoked such strong emotions, but he insisted that ministers were confronted with a difficult set of choices. He argued that the government was in an unenviable position and that decisions of this kind would not satisfy everybody, however they were made. His comments were aimed at containing a controversy that shows no sign of fading.
The possible involvement of Thames Valley Police would give the dispute a significant legal dimension. If the force joins the challenge, the courts could be asked to examine whether the decision to allow early release was lawful and whether the seriousness of the crime was properly taken into account. A judgment against the government would be politically damaging and would force ministers to rethink the approach.
PC Harper was killed while serving with Thames Valley Police, and the circumstances of his death made the case one of the most emotive criminal justice stories in recent years. The decision to release his killers early has reignited a broader debate about public confidence in the justice system and the way serious offenders are dealt with.
The coming stages of the dispute are now likely to be shaped by the courts. The police federation's threat of legal action and the possible intervention of Thames Valley Police mean that judges could ultimately decide whether the government's plan goes ahead. That possibility, along with the widow's public criticism, ensures the controversy will remain politically difficult for ministers.
