PC Andrew Harper’s mother blasts £18.99 ‘blue lives murder’ T-shirts sold on Amazon after her hero son was killed in the line of duty by traveller trio
- Deborah Adlam started a petition to stop Amazon from selling the shirts
- Her son was killed in the line of duty by being dragged underneath a car
- Same T-shirts have previously come under fire from The Police Federation
PC Andrew Harper’s disgusted mother has slammed ‘blue lives murder’ T-shirts being sold on Amazon after her son was killed in the line of duty.
Deborah Adlam has started a petition to stop the online store from selling the £18.99 T-shirts which are emblazoned with the slogan ‘Blue Lives Murder’.
The slogan, which gained popularity after George Floyd, a black man in the US, died at the hands of the police, is a play on Black Lives Matter and suggests that policemen commit murders.
Ms Adlam wrote: ‘Please sign share the hell out of this… stop Amazon. If this goes again I will. Never buy from them again’.
PC Andrew Harper’s disgusted mother has slammed ‘blue lives murder’ T-shirts being sold on Amazon after her son was killed in the line of duty
The T-shirt has previously come under fire from The Police Federation, which represents rank and file British officers, who branded the shirt ‘deeply offensive’ as it shows an officer with a raised baton, appearing to attack a member of the public.
Amazon has refused to remove the merchandise from its site and a spokesman told The Sun: ‘Amazon has strict guidelines in place and follows the local laws of every country we operate in. We also have public policies for third-party sellers, so that they understand the standards we expect of them.
‘We have policies governing offensive and controversial materials which are posted publicly, and we invest significant time and resources to ensure our content guidelines are followed.’
It comes after the Police Federation said a jury’s decision to clear the three travellers who killed PC Andrew Harper of murder is ‘two fingers up at the criminal justice system’.
A jury’s decision to clear the three travellers who killed PC Andrew Harper, pictured left, of murder is ‘two fingers up at the criminal justice system’, the chairman of the Police Federation John Apter, pictured right, has said
John Apter’s comments come as a family friend of the officer claimed the teenagers ‘knew exactly what they were doing’, adding that ‘they were just preoccupied with their escape at all costs.’
Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole hugged each other yesterday as they were cleared of murdering the police officer by dragging him to his death behind their car – but were convicted of manslaughter.
The verdict left PC Harper’s widow, Lissie, ‘immensely disappointed’ and sparked fury from his friends and colleagues.
Police mugshots of (left to right), driver Henry Long, 19, and his passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18
PC Andrew Harper and his wife Lissie celebrating their wedding at Ardington House in Oxfordshire in summer 2019
The 28-year-old officer had tried to stop the thieves stealing a quad bike and his ankles were lassoed by the trailing loading strap as the teenagers tried to escape in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August last year.
For over a mile he was towed helplessly behind the Seat Toledo by his feet as the car reached speeds of up to 60mph with driver Long, 19, swerving violently to try and release the stricken officer.
Albert Bowers arriving at Reading Magistrates’ Court on September 19, 2019 for an appearance over PC Harper’s death
Long and his two friends Bowers and Cole, both 18, were all accused of murder but convicted only of manslaughter and were seen joyfully embracing each other via a videolink from HMP Belmarsh in London.
John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents more than 120,000 officers up to the rank of chief inspector in England and Wales, said: ‘What we see far too often is offenders who assault police officers or any emergency worker, who are then let off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.