The Isle of Wight's and Hampshire's Police and Crime Commissioner has spoken of her support for a new law that would mean life in prison for anyone who kills an emergency services worker.

Donna Jones says she is "really pleased that Harper’s Law has now got the backing of the Government, including the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary."

A campaign has been running for two years, since the death of PC Andrew Harper (pictured above, with wife, Lissie).

The 28-year-old died from injuries caused when he was caught in a strap attached to the back of a car.

He was dragged down a winding country road, as three teenagers drove away from a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.

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His widow, Lissie Harper, has been calling for tougher measures after the 16 and 18 year olds involved were cleared of murder and were instead convicted of manslaughter, before being sentenced to around 13 years in prison.

Ms Jones said: "The Attorney General has previously appealed to the court of appeal to try and get those sentences increased and that appeal was refused.

"The introduction of this new legislation means that there will be mandatory life sentences for anyone who kills an emergency services worker, be that ambulance, police, fire, doctors, nurses, prison officers - anybody working in the line of duty in a public serving role to protect us.

"It is very very welcome indeed. It is proportionate to the harm they cause."

'Harper’s Law' is likely to be an amendment to the existing Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and is expected to become law early next year.

A life sentence means a person can be sent back to prison if, at any point in their lives, they commit another offence after release (having served a court-imposed amount of time in jail).

It is not expected to apply to cases already tried.