4 years ago
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Thames Valley Police
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PC Andrew Harper died after his ankles became entangled in a tow strap attached to the car the youths were in
Three teenagers have been found guilty of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, who died after being dragged along a road by a car.
PC Andrew Harper died from catastrophic injuries after his ankles got caught in a strap trailing behind a vehicle driven by Henry Long, in August 2019.
Long, 19, had earlier admitted manslaughter but was cleared of murder.
Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18, were cleared of murder but found guilty at the Old Bailey of manslaughter.
All three are due to be sentenced next Friday.
PC Harper was dragged for more than a mile along country lanes in Berkshire after he and a colleague responded to reports of a quad bike theft, jurors heard.
The 28-year-old newlywed became "lassoed" to the back of a Seat Toledo after he "unwittingly" stepped with both feet into the loop of a tow rope as he tried to apprehend one of the defendants.
Prosecutors said the Abingdon-based roads policing officer was "swung from side to side like a pendulum" after Long sped off to escape the scene.
