PC Andrew Harper’s widow is looking to find happiness away from the limelight

THE widow of police officer Andrew Harper, who was killed in the line of duty, is looking to find happiness away from the limelight. Lissie Harper, 31, will step out of the public eye as her fight for mandatory life sentences for those who kill 999 workers is close to fruition. She has shrugged off […]

THE widow of police officer Andrew Harper, who was killed in the line of duty, is looking to find happiness away from the limelight.

Lissie Harper, 31, will step out of the public eye as her fight for mandatory life sentences for those who kill 999 workers is close to fruition.

She has shrugged off calls to go into politics and will focus on her crafts business instead.

She said: “I know for a fact that Andrew would want me to be happy.

“Essentially, once this is done, that’s my life.

“So yes, I do want to find happiness again.”

Her husband, 28, was dragged to his death as he chased quad bike thieves in Berkshire in 2019.

Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were handed 13 years in custody for masnalughter.

All three were cleared of murder by a jury.

Mrs Harper said she was compelled to fight for the law change the day her husband’s killers were acquitted of murder.

She said she felt “utterly let down sitting there in court while the defendants’ families cheered”.

She added: “A lot of people talk about moving on.

“But you can never move on from grief, it’s always with you.

“It’s something that you learn to cope with.”