A British mother’s quest for justice takes her across the Atlantic as she embarks on a mission to have the case of her daughter’s death reopened. Her daughter was shot by her father in Texas, a case she argues has been neglected by British authorities.
Jane Coates candidly expressed feeling abandoned and isolated by the British government in her pursuit of justice for her daughter, Lucy Harrison. She has openly called upon the UK government for support in her cause.
Nearly 19 months after the heartrending incident, Ms. Coates revealed her intentions to engage with the district attorney as she advocates for a renewed investigation into the circumstances of her daughter’s untimely death.
Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old fashion buyer from Warrington, Cheshire, was tragically shot by her father, Kris Harrison, in his Prosper, Texas home on January 10, 2025. The incident took place only hours before she was scheduled to return to the UK.
Following claims by Mr. Harrison that the firearm accidentally discharged while showing it to his daughter, a Collin County grand jury later deemed there was insufficient evidence for criminal charges, leaving the case in a state of limbo.
In February, a coroner in England concluded Ms Harrison had been unlawfully killed, finding her father’s actions amounted to gross negligence manslaughter under UK law.
Ms Coates has now sought the help of Radd Seiger, who previously advised the family of Harry Dunn after the teenager was killed by a US citizen in a road crash in Northamptonshire.
She said on feeling ‘alone’ in her efforts: ‘I think it’s not being heard – just raising all of our concerns and nothing being acted upon, and feeling like we’ve just been deserted by the British authorities.
Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old fashion buyer from Warrington, Cheshire, was shot through the chest by her father, Kris Harrison, at his home in Prosper, Texas, in January 2025
Her mother Jane Coates has revealed she will fly to the US in a bid to persuade prosecutors to reopen the case amid claims she has been ‘deserted’ by the British government
Kris Harrison’s actions on the day of the tragedy were branded reckless by a UK coroner
‘I think, save Sarah Hall, my MP, who has done everything in her capacity to raise and escalate Lucy’s case, it’s just felt like there’s been doors shut at every single opportunity, and people haven’t been there for us.’
Ms Coates said she had expected the unlawful killing conclusion to become a turning point in her campaign for justice.
She continued: ‘We had to wait until February 2026 before we felt that we could freely speak about what we felt had happened to Lucy and how let down we felt.
‘Receiving the unlawful killing outcome was a day full of complete mixed emotions, but one where finally Lucy’s truth and voice has been heard in some capacity.
‘But from then it still hasn’t moved things forward in terms of my request for a reopening of the investigation in Texas.’
Ms Coates said she, alongside Mr Seiger, are now planning to travel to Texas in the hope of persuading the Collin County District Attorney’s office to reconsider the case in light of the coroner’s findings.
Asked what a successful trip to the US would look like, Ms Coates said: ‘It would be that they do accept the outcome from the coroner in terms of the unlawful killing.
‘Although I know that it’s a completely different jurisdiction, a completely different law, so it’s about appealing to them in terms of our real concerns with the US investigation, with the Texas investigation, and that they do agree to reopen Lucy’s case and give it new consideration.
‘That’s the ultimate goal.’
Senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish ruled in February that Mr Harrison’s conduct had been ‘reckless’.
The inquest heard he had been drinking wine before removing a loaded Glock pistol from his bedside cabinet.
The coroner concluded the gun could only have been fired after it was pointed at Lucy, and the trigger pulled, and heard police officers in Texas did not carry out an alcohol test despite smelling alcohol on his breath.
Ms Coates said she was not asking the Foreign Office to interfere in the American justice system, but wanted ministers to publicly support her family.
‘Surely, having an unlawful killing conclusion in a coroner’s court should then mean something, and I definitely thought that it would have been escalated in the Foreign Office,’ she said.
‘I’m not calling for the Foreign Office to interfere in jurisdiction abroad… but to be a voice for Lucy and for our family – to know that we are supported by the British Government, to be able to campaign for the case to be reopened.’
The family have requested a meeting with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and other senior officials.
Ms Coates said: ‘I think in the first instance it would be an acceptance and an understanding of what we have been through as a family, and for a recognition that things should have been different.
‘And their assurances that they will publicly support us in our campaign and moving forward with the US authorities.’
Ms Coates said campaigning for justice had left her little chance to grieve for Lucy.
She said: ‘I think this second year has been much harder actually than the first.
‘I think the first year was cocooned by shock, and so I just went through it in “doing mode”, and just being driven to try and do everything I possibly could to get Lucy a voice and justice for her.’
She said the second year had brought home the reality of losing her only child.
Jane Coates believes her daughter would have wanted a full investigation of the tragedy
Ms Coates (centre) pictured with Lucy’s friend Ella Gowing and boyfriend Sam Littler outside Cheshire Coroner’s Court following her inquest
Lucy Harrison pictured at her university graduation with a first class degree in fashion
‘At the moment, I’m in this position where I’m feeling that I’ve kind of got two daughters in one sense – like this campaigning daughter, where I go into this campaigning mode, and this mum who is campaigning for justice for Lucy, and she’s become a campaign,’ she said.
‘But then I’ve got my real daughter. I know the two are the same.
‘But that softness is there, and I think it’s just allowing myself to have those opportunities to just be in that place, just me and Lucy.
‘But yeah, it’s hard.’
Asked what she would say directly to the Foreign Secretary, Ms Coates said: ‘I would say I am a bereaved mum who wants to do everything I possibly can to ensure justice for my daughter and to do the right thing by her and for her, and I really do want the full support of the British Government behind me, so that I no longer feel alone,’ she said.
‘Because I have felt incredibly alone, and I’m not a bitter person. I will not allow bitterness to eat me or to consume me. It’s not who I am.’
A deputy head teacher, Ms Coates said the campaign had become something her pupils were watching closely.
She said: ‘How can I say to them when I go back into school, “Guys, forget British values. It doesn’t really matter about the rule of law because people won’t support you”?
‘I’m not going to say that, but they need to see that happening.
‘Lucy is one person, but she represents so much more than one person – she does represent doing the right thing, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s in the UK or the US. We all know right from wrong.’
Mr Seiger said Ms Harrison’s case was exactly the type of complex international case that Dame Anne Owers’ review into the Government’s handling of the Dunn case envisaged would receive senior-level support.
He said the family wanted the case lifted beyond routine consular handling and said he planned to travel to the US with Ms Coates to meet the district attorney and seek a fresh investigation.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokeswoman said: ‘Our thoughts remain with Jane and her family for the tragic loss they have suffered.
‘We were in contact with the family and provided consular support.
‘We will always look to learn lessons to improve the consular support we offer to other families in the future.’
It is understood Foreign Office officials are reviewing recent correspondence from Ms Harrison’s family and intend to respond.
The Collin County District Attorney’s Office has been approached for comment.