PC Andrew Harper memorial to be unveiled

A memorial to a police officer, whose death on duty led to tougher sentences for the killers of emergency workers, will be unveiled later.

PC Andrew Harper was dragged for a mile by a tow rope loop on a fleeing car after confronting quad bike thieves in a country lane near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.

Three teenagers later received custodial sentences of between 13 and 16 years for manslaughter.

The Police Memorial Trust said the small, stone tribute, outside Forbury Gardens in Reading, would remind people of his sacrifice.

The ceremony will be attended by PC Harper's widow Lissie, who was married to him for just 28 days before his death.

Her campaign for Harper's Law led to mandatory life sentences for people who kill emergency workers on duty.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg and Mrs Michael Winner, widow of the late filmmaker who founded the trust, will also attend.

The trust's 61st memorial is similar to its first, which honours PC Yvonne Fletcher who was killed in London in 1984.

The 1.2m (4ft) tribute, opposite Reading Crown Court, is carved mainly in Portland Stone with gold lettering.

Previously, the trust said: "Visitors to the area, on seeing the memorial, would be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice PC Andrew Harper made whilst protecting the citizens of the United Kingdom."

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