Man wrongly detained over murder of PC Harper to sue police
An innocent man who spent weeks in prison accused of murdering PC Andrew Harper before proceedings against him were dropped is taking legal action against the police.
Jed Foster, 21, was charged over the killing in August 2019 after being among 10 suspects arrested at a caravan park near the site of the fatal incident where Harper died after being dragged along a road by a getaway car in Berkshire.
A trial date was set and Foster was remanded in custody at Woodhill, the category A prison in Milton Keynes, as his lawyer and family continually denied any involvement in Harper’s death.
However, the charges were suddenly dropped the following month as three teenagers, Henry Long, now 19, the driver, and his passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, were charged before being found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Friday.
Almost year on, now reporting restrictions have been lifted after the trial’s conclusion, Foster has told of the devastating impact that a bombardment of hate mail, social media abuse and anti-Traveller hatred had on him and his family.
“Newspapers targeted me and my family even though I had not been convicted,” he told the BBC. “They acted as though I was guilty.” People “wrote on social media that I should be hanged or hang myself,” he added.
Foster claimed he was able to prove that he was not involved in Harper’s death but alleged “police did not seem to be interested”.
“I was arrested and then charged with murder and spent several weeks in prison accused of an offence that I did not commit,” he said.
“[Police] appeared to just to want to find someone to blame for the death of their colleague and were not concerned whether I was actually involved … It was terrifying being accused of a murder I had not done. I knew I was innocent, but I was worried that I would be wrongly convicted, and that for the murder of a police officer I could die in prison.”
Foster said he was “pleased that everyone now knows that I am innocent”, but does not believe he has “had any justice for the way that I was treated by the police”.
His solicitor Michael Oswald told the BBC it was “entirely understandable that Thames Valley police wanted to bring to justice anyone involved in the death of PC Harper”. But he said the force “cannot justify or excuse the devastating impact on Mr Foster when they wrongly identified him as being responsible”.
He added: “The actions of the police meant that he spent several weeks in prison – and in the spotlight of intrusive national media attention – accused of murdering a police officer, an experience from which he and his family are still struggling to recover.
“It is now a matter of public record that the evidence proves he is completely innocent. By way of the proceedings that have been issued, Mr Foster looks to Thames Valley police to accept that he should in fact never have been arrested or prosecuted and to take now all possible steps to mitigate the damage they have caused and allow him to move on with his life.”
Police suspicions were raised after officers found “highly incriminating” texts which Foster had admitted represented “stupid, sick banter” to wind his sister up, according to prosecutor Jonathan Polnay.
He said texts from his phone were “on the face of it highly incriminating”, the Evening Standard reported. They included references to a “bad chase”, being pursued by a helicopter, and “ramming”.
One text said: “F***, this could be it. This isn’t Jed texting, he’s driving. He said don’t tell his mum.” However, it was later accepted Foster had an “electronic alibi” as there was evidence of him posting social media away from the site of the incident.
The force said in a statement it had “received notification of a potential compensation claim from Jed Foster’s solicitors so it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage”. It did not respond to a further request for comment by the Guardian.
