P C Harper Verdict

There will be no remorse from them for killing a police officer.

The police just get in the way of their criminal activities.

I'm disgusted by the verdict and the contempt that was shown to PC Harper's family with the 'celebrations' when the verdict was delivered.

I don't know what the maximum sentence for manslaughter is but I hope that's what they get, even though it wont be enough IMO.

They went out tooled up with weapons that they fully intended to use if they were interrupted whilst stealing the quad bike. There was definitely intent. I can't bear to think about that poor man being dragged behind the car whilst those b*****s were laughing.
I didn't know that they were from the Traveller community, not that it makes a jot of difference where they come from.

They knew what they were doing, shown no remorse, hope their sentences are long ones and they are not in prison together. The lives of the family of PC Harper are changed forever, it’s so wrong that a decent policeman, doing his duty for all of us, should die at the hands of these dreadful people.
They should all get life, grow old in prison.

I don’t believe for one minute that they didn’t know what was happening to that poor policeman. I find the lack of remorse abhorrent. They’ll be back on the streets in no time, it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Lemongrove, their INTENT was that they knew they had hit something/someone but carried on driving.
If you hadn't intended anything you'd have stopped, right ?

Those thugs went out that night with the -intention- of stealing something no matter what it took.
They had no -intention-of stopping.

There was no intention prior to the incident to take a life so it cannot be murder. Manslaughter is the correct crime committed.

Yes Jane10, it would be intimidation from those gangs of unmentionables.

… when the call came through from a distressed member of the public

Imagine how that poor person must be feeling. They may forever be thinking ‘If only I hadn’t made that call’.

PC Harper was just going off duty when the call came through from a distressed member of the public so he and his colleague attended. Dedicated police officers who wouldn't ignore a cry for help. The result being that he lost his life.

These three lowlifes will probably be out in a few years and a brave young man, a credit to his community and family has gone.

I think the jurors have to be unprejudiced by the criminals' previous history, and I think the judge would have directed them that murder means the main intention was to kill.

Horrible people!

I wasn’t surprised that the murder charge was dismissed..It would be impossible to prove intent.
The driver admitted to manslaughter after he was arrested.
It was a terrible incident ( don’t really want to think about it!)
The young men involved have shown no remorse at all apparently.
The police had to arrest every male at the camp site as they were all obstructive to the police who went to arrest the young men who had driven the car. What a shower.

100% murder .

I believe the reason they were found guilty of manslaughter is because the officer's death was "unintentional".

I think they can be sentenced to life imprisonment (although we all know that means they could still be free whilst still relatively young men). I hope the judge ensures they are put away for a very long time with no possibility of early release.

The members of the jury must have agonised over the final verdict assuming that they decided it was manslaughter rather than murder.

I am a firm believer in the jury system, and whilst I am appalled at both the way the policeman died, and the prisoners behaviour, I was not privy to everything that the jurors heard in court and whether they were directed by the judge. I must therefore uphold what the jury decided, even though I feel very uncomfortable by it.

Yes, there was intimidation in the original trial, which is why security was so tight, and a juror on this trial I believe as dismissed.

I hope they get life imprisonment.. They showed no regard for life or remorse for taking a life.
Utter scum.

They were concerned about intimidation. Not sure there actually was any.

I hope the judge gives them the maximum sentence available which is life imprisonment

Had they been found guilty of murder there would have been lengthy appeals about the legality of the verdict

I’ve heard tell of attempted intimidation of the jury in the original trial.

I can't bear to think about the pain and fear that poor policemen would have suffered in his final moments. I am a great believer in capital punishment and this is the sort of crime it should be used for. They wouldn't be smirking in court then. Bar that, they should get life in prison but the driver will probably receive 15 years max, out in 5. The others will get less.
Also, a lesson to us all,...never step over ropes attach to an object which has potential to move; sadly, a fatal mistake the policemen made.

Their grinning faces infuriated me, made you want to punch them.

His poor young widow, parents, siblings.

Disgusting! It was murder!

I have many thoughts on the outcome of the trial, but just because it was manslaughter I truly pray that the highest custody tariffs that the court can give will be for many years behind bars.
I cannot even begin to imagine how his widow must be feeling. I keep thinking I just wish he had not jumped out of the police vehicle to try and catch their car on foot. He should have stayed with the other officer and followed in the car. The thing was he was a truly good officer and was doing all he could to detain the offenders.

A newly married young man and his life was lost over that stupid theft of a quad bike which was probably only worth about £2000. Who cares about a stupid quad bike that is replaceable but the life of that P.C. cannot be replaced so lock them criminals up and throw away the key.

That poor poor man. I made the mistake of reading about his injuries.

They even gave their occupations as thieves. Shameless. The sort of people who give scum a bad name. Of course it was murder. Wonder why the jury gave the manslaughter verdict. Intimidation?