'Callous' troll who taunted PC Andrew Harper's widow told he faces jail

An Instagram troll who told Pc Andrew Harper’s widow “it’s hard to identify a body that’s left in pieces" is facing jail.

Milo Alejandro, 20, posted eight comments beneath images Lissie Harper had posted on Instagram on 23 March last year, almost two years after Pc Harper's death.

Alejandro, from Ilford, was warned on Tuesday to expect jail after he pleaded guilty to making grossly offensive comments online.

Pc Harper died after he responded to a report of a stolen quad bike in 2019.

He had got caught in rope between the thieves’ car and the quad bike and was dragged for more than a mile at speeds of up to 40mph before he was dislodged and suffered catastrophic injuries.

Oxford Magistrates' Court heard that Alejandro told Mrs Harper “YOUR HUSBAND IS SPLIFFED” and asked “how many Chomosones [sic] are missing in this picture?”.

He wrote beneath images of Pc Harper: “He looks different with his body in once [sic] piece eh?” and “what a neek [slang for geek/nerd] how you a grown man getting packed by kids”.

Alejandro also commented “go seek out your nan in hell Andrew you neek”.

Watch: Lissie Harper says she is ready to 'find happiness again'

The comments were reported to Thames Valley Police last March and checks with Facebook, which owns Instagram, led officers to Alejandro.

He was arrested on 22 November last year and phones seized from his home still had screenshots of the comments made to Mrs Harper, according to police.

An ornamental knife was also found during the house search, leading to a conviction at North London Magistrates’ Court last December for possession of an offensive weapon in a private place.

Appearing before the Court on Tuesday, Alejandro – who has no previous convictions – pleaded guilty to sending a grossly offensive or indecent message on a public communications network.

He was also said to suffer from undiagnosed mental health problems and had previously been seen by a child and adolescent mental health services.

Alejandro was bailed until he returns on May 6th to be sentenced but deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram warned him: “I was seriously considering sending you to prison here and now without a pre-sentence report.

"So be under no illusion that is what I am likely to do when you come back.”

In a victim statement read to the court, Mrs Harper branded the comments “callous and hurtful”.

She wrote: “I was hurt that someone could be so insensitive to a widow who was going through an already incredibly hard time. I felt sick when I first saw them."

Mrs Harper, from Wallingford, added: “There is often a misconception that abuse in the form of words on the screen cannot be as damaging as they would be in person.

"But I can tell you this is not true.

“The words linger in my mind and that same feeling of disgust remains.”

Three teenagers were jailed in 2020 after they were convicted of the manslaughter of Pc Harper.

Henry Long, 19, was given 16 years behind bars, having served as the getaway driver, while passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, were each handed 13-year sentences.