PC who strangled nurse could be released next year

A former police officer who killed a nurse after she threatened to expose their affair to his wife could be released from prison next year.

Timothy Brehmer, from Hordle, Hampshire, was jailed for 10 years and six months for the manslaughter of 41-year-old Claire Parry in Dorset in 2020, a sentence later increased to 13 years and six months by the Court of Appeal.

Brehmer, who was a PC with Dorset Police, strangled Parry at a pub car park in West Parley after she texted his wife: "I am cheating on you."

The BBC understands Brehmer could be eligible for release from mid-2027 under government plans aimed at reducing prison overcrowding. However, the policy could still be subject to change.

The government excluded rape and certain child sexual and grooming offences from the reforms this month.

Brehmer, who had been having an affair with Parry for a decade, initially claimed she had been injured accidentally before pleading guilty to manslaughter. He was cleared of murder.

Dorset Police said Brehmer was sacked at a misconduct hearing held in September 2020 and barred from working as an officer.

Brehmer's case is the latest to attract renewed attention following a petition calling for two of PC Andrew Harper's killers to remain behind bars, which has been signed more than one million times.

PC Harper, from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, died in 2019 when he was dragged by a car as three teenagers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire.

A commencement order setting out specific release dates is due to be laid in Parliament in the coming weeks.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Public safety will always be our priority.

"We are fast-tracking a plan to keep more of the most dangerous offenders behind bars, on top of murderers and those serving sentences for rape, serious child sexual abuse and grooming offences who are already blocked from any changes."

The spokesperson added the government was "exploring how we can go further", including faster deportation of foreign criminals.