Lissie Harper finds love again with 999 worker: Widow of hero PC Andrew Harper – who was dragged to his death by bike thieves – is pictured with her new partner as she receives MBE from King Charles at Windsor Castle 

• Lissie Harper has found love again 4 years after her husband died in line of duty

Lissie Harper, the widow of PC Andrew Harper, has found love again four years after her husband was killed in the line of duty.

PC Andrew Harper, 28, died on August 15, 2019, when he was dragged beneath the wheels of a car for a mile near Sulhamstead, Berkshire.

The PC had been married for less than a month when he died and his widow has since tirelessly campaigned for stronger laws in his memory.

Today, Mrs Harper was recognised for her services for victims of violent crime and their families, receiving an MBE at Windsor Castle, supported by her parents and her new partner, Dan Terry – who is also an emergency worker.

Mr Terry was first pictured alongside Mrs Harper on November 22 last year but the couple appear to have kept their relationship out of the spotlight.

Lissie Harper, the widow of slain PC Andrew Harper, has found love again with Dan Terry (pictured together) four years after her husband was killed in the line of duty

Lissie Harper smiled today as King Charles awarded her an MBE medal at Windsor Castle

Lissie and PC Andrew Harper, 28, had been together for 13 years before marrying on July 18, 2019. They were due to go on their honeymoon just hours after the end of PC Harper’s shift on August 15 when he was killed in the line of duty

Speaking about her new romance on the podcast The Stigma of Grief, Mrs Harper revealed she felt pressure to be seen as grieving but feels it’s important to live again.

She said: ‘There’s this expectation to be this figure, the grieving widow… like we’re expected to wear black for the rest of our lives and sit and mourn. It’s not sustainable… and it’s not fair.

READ MORE: ‘A cruelty I will never understand’: Widow of slain PC Andrew Harper pays tribute to her ‘angel’ on his 32nd birthday 

‘And although some people resign themselves to being alone forever, that’s not the case for me.

‘It’s normal to feel scared and wonder if you’re doing the right thing. It’s a common feeling of do I deserve to feel happy again? Am I betraying the person I love who isn’t here?

‘I think probably most of the people who sadly aren’t with us would want their loved ones to find happiness again.

‘It’s not going to be the same, it’s not going to be better or worse, it’s just going to be different and that’s been really important for me to find that again. There’s no right or wrong time, no matter what anyone else says.’

Mrs Harper, from Oxford, admitted her first date with the 999 worker felt ‘strange’ after being with her husband for 13 years.

‘You become a different person when you go through something like this,’ she added.

‘You kind of grow out of the person you were before because you have no choice.’

Lissie Harper was supported by her partner and parents as she received her MBE

King Charles shook Mrs Harper’s hand at the Windsor Castle ceremony

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

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

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

PC Harper’s death happened just hours before he was due to clock off and begin his honeymoon with his new wife.

PC Andrew Harper, who worked for Thames Valley Police, had been part of the road policing unit for just six weeks when he was killed while responding to a bike theft by three teenagers.

He was caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a winding country road, leading to his death.

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

READ MORE – Widow of slain PC Andrew Harper is dating another emergency worker more than four years after he was killed 

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.

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.

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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