PC Andrew Harper: Police reveal cause of death following Reading murder investigation

Police officers launched a murder probe following a "serious incident" which took place at around 11.30pm near to the crossroads of Ufton Lane and Lambdens Hill, near Sulhampstead between Reading and Newbury.

PC Andrew Harper from the roads policing unit at Abingdon Police Station was attending a reported burglary and was killed while performing his duties.

A coroner carried out a Post Mortem report to determine the cause of death, which has been recorded as "multiple injuries".

The cause of death is consistent with details that PC Harper was caught between a vehicle and the road and dragged under it for a distance.

However, how he came to be between the vehicle in the first place is unknown at this point.

Detective Superintendent Ailsa Kent of the Major Crime Unit said: “Our complex investigation into the death of PC Andrew Harper continues and I want to take this opportunity to provide an update.

“A Post Mortem was carried out on Andrew’s body yesterday, and the cause of death has been recorded as multiple injuries.

“The cause of death is consistent with our current belief that Andrew was caught between a vehicle and the road, and then dragged for a distance.

“However, the circumstances as to how Andrew came to be out of his vehicle and then caught under the suspect vehicle and dragged, is unknown.

“Therefore, I would reiterate our plea for the public and the media not to speculate on the circumstances of the incident while the investigation is ongoing."

Police officers raided a council-run travellers' site, Four Houses Corner in Reading near Burghfield Common on Friday night (August 16).

10 male suspects, aged between 13 and 30 were arrested on suspicion of murder within an hour of the incident.

Detective Supt Ailsa Kent added: "I can confirm that the males were arrested from a local authority-run caravan and mobile home site, Four Houses Corner, in Reading Road near Burghfield Common.

“Earlier today we sought a 36 hour extension to their custody, and this was granted at Reading Magistrates’ Court.

“In respect of our investigation, we are interviewing those in custody, carrying out house to house enquiries, obtaining and reviewing CCTV footage, undertaking forensic examination, and taking witness statements."

The A4 Bath road was also closed again yesterday (August 17) while police officers carried out searches.

Detective supt Kent added: “I want to thank local residents for their patience and cooperation while we carried out this vital work, and other enquiries at a number of other scenes across West Berkshire.

“I also want to thank the public and the wider police family for their messages of support during this extremely difficult time for everyone affected by Andrew’s death.

“We continue our appeal to anyone with any information about this incident to contact police by visiting our website or calling 101.

“Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“Finally, our thoughts remain with Andrew’s friends, family and colleagues.”