Widow of PC Andrew Harper who was dragged to his death by bike thieves in a getaway car is to be made an MBE for her tireless campaigning

• Lissie Harper has been recognised for her services to victims of violent crime 

The widow of police officer Andrew Harper, who was killed 9in the line of duty when he was dragged to his death by bike thieves, will be made an MBE at Windsor Castle after her tireless campaigning for stronger laws in his memory.

Lissie Harper has been recognised for her services to victims of violent crime and their families.

She successfully campaigned for Harper’s Law, which has extended mandatory life sentences to anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty.

PC Andrew Harper, who worked for Thames Valley Police, was killed while responding to a bike theft by three teenagers in Berkshire in August 2019.

He was caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a winding country road, just four weeks after getting married.

Lissie Harper has been recognised for her services to victims of violent crime and their families

Mrs Harper’s husband PC Andrew Harper, who worked for Thames Valley Police, was killed while responding to a bike theft by three teenagers in Berkshire in August 2019

His death happened just hours before he was due to clock off and begin his honeymoon with his new wife. 

The law was proposed by Mrs Harper to the Government in reaction to the prison sentences handed to the three teenagers responsible for his death.

Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter at the Old Bailey, but all three were cleared of murder by the jury.

Mrs Harper’s quest to change the law came ‘in the midst of grief and incomprehensible loss’, and was backed by the likes of the then-Home Secretary Priti Patel and then-Justice Secretary Dominic Raab. 

Harper’s Law came into effect last June, and applies to police, prison officers, firefighters and paramedics.

When the legislation became law, she said: ‘I will never be rid of the hollowness that the burden of grief inflicts, but I know without hesitation that my husband Andrew would be immensely proud of this achievement in his name.

‘Andrew believed in fairness and peace – he had the strongest moral compass of anyone I ever met and that is why I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is smiling down at me with pride and love as Harper’s Law, his legacy is now achieved.’

Actress Vicky McClure and politician Michael Fabricant are among the other notable names to be recognised for honours.

Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter at the Old Bailey for Mr Harper’s death

Mrs Harper successfully campaigned for Harper’s Law, which has extended mandatory life sentences to anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty

McClure, best known for playing Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC series Line Of Duty, will be made an MBE for her services to drama and charity.

READ MORE: ‘A cruelty I will never understand’: Widow of slain PC Andrew Harper pays tribute to her ‘angel’ on his 32nd birthday more than three years after he was killed 

The 40-year-old first rose to prominence playing the cool and easy-going Lol Jenkins in the 2006 film This Is England and its subsequent TV follow-up series.

She was nominated for a Bafta Television award for best supporting actress in 2015, and a National Television Award for drama performance in 2021.

McClure has been an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society since 2018 and has raised awareness around the disease through her creation of Our Dementia Choir.

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant will become a knight after being named on former prime minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours lists.

Sir Michael, 73, has been an MP for more than 30 years and won his Lichfield constituency by a majority of more than 23,000 at the 2019 general election.

He served as the vice chair of the party between 2012 and 2014.

On Monday Sir Michael said he would be voting for the Government’s controversial Rwanda Bill, indicating he would push for changes as the legislation passed through the Commons.

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