PC Andrew Harper Death: What Happened?

On 15 August 2019, 28-year-old English police constable Andrew Harper was killed near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England in the line of duty.

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.

The post mortem also showed that Harper had sustained a “very severe” brain injury; a pathologist stated that it was likely Harper lost consciousness when he fell to the ground.

Investigations showed that Harper was dragged 1 mile (1.6 km) in 91 seconds, with the defendants averaging 42.5 miles per hour (68.4 km/h).

In July 2020, three teenage males were found guilty of manslaughter and received sentences of 16 and 13 years imprisonment.

They were acquitted on the charge of murder. Harper’s killing led to the proposal of Harper’s Law, which would introduce a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for anyone convicted of killing emergency workers.