ONE of PC Andrew Harper’s killers is a convicted sex offender — yet was still considered fit for early release by Labour.
Albert Bowers, 24, is believed to have committed the crime before the brave cop’s death in 2019.
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Bowers, still at Frankland jail, Durham, after a public outcry, is listed as a “sex offender”, “violent” and “racist” on its records.
A source said: “This is outrageous and shows he is a danger to society and to women in particular. It likely means he offended on the outside before he was jailed.
“That would mean he would have been under 18 and not named in public records because children have right to anonymity in relation to crimes.
“But the authorities know about it and that’s why it’s marked on files. It is a disgrace he was ever slated for release.”
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PC Harper, 28, was dragged to his death as Henry Long, Jessie Cole and Bowers, then 17, fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire.
Bowers is on an enhanced regime at HMP Frankland, meaning he gets £33 a week to spend in the canteen plus extra gym and workshop access and time out of his cell.
The revelation comes after we told how Bowers’ accomplice Cole had been listed as a “risk to staff” by bosses at high-security Whitemoor Prison, Cambs where he is held.
Bowers is held alongside murderers including Levi Bellfield, ex-cop Wayne Couzens and Sally Anne Bowman’s killer Mark Dixie plus a raft of terrorists.
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A separate source said: “He is quite feared in Frankland because he is young and a trained boxer. He is always in the gym and can lift more than anyone else in there.
“He is also living quite a comfortable life by prison standards because he has behaved, so he gets all the privileges including 24-hour TV.”
Newlywed Thames Valley Police officer PC Harper, 28, was dragged to his death in August 2019 as Long, Cole and Bowers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire.
Bowers and Cole were both 17 at the time and passengers in the car driven by Long, who was caged for 16 years and not eligible for early release.
They were jailed for manslaughter in July 2020 and handed 13-year terms.
The revelation in July they could have been freed next January after serving half the sentence – instead of two-thirds – sparked fury and prompted the government to act to keep them inside.
PC Harper’s widow Lissie campaigned for harsher sentences for the killings of emergency workers after her husband’s tragic death.
And she has blasted Government plans to free the killers under the Sentencing Act, saying her work had been “forgotten”.
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PC Harper’s mum, Debbie Adlam, has called flip-flopping over their release “gut-wrenching”.
More than a million people have signed a petition demanding that Bowers and Cole – who laughed and sneered during their trial – stay behind bars.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Alex Norris MP said: “We moved quickly to exclude rape and many serious child sex and grooming offences from our sentencing changes, and we have gone further still by excluding all unlawful killing offences—including death by dangerous or drink-driving, causing or allowing the death of a child, and manslaughter.
“This means hundreds more dangerous criminals staying behind bars for longer, including those who killed PC Andrew Harper in the line of duty.
“It is the right thing to do, and I pay tribute to his wife Lissie and his mother Debbie, who campaigned for this.
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“We would like to have gone further, but we were unable to do so due to the lack of investment by the previous Government over 14 years.”
A representative for PC Harper’s widow, Lissie, was contacted.