THE mother of PC Andrew Harper has said attending her son's memorial to mark the anniversary of his death was "more difficult" than she expected.

PC Harper's mother Debbie Adlam attended a private memorial in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, to mark the anniversary of her son's death on Saturday.

She said: "It was really emotional, acknowledging the year is here tomorrow."

READ ALSO: PC Harper's widow writes poem ahead of the first anniversary of her husband's death.

She added: "I found it quite difficult to be honest, more difficult than I expected.

"It can sometimes go in and out of phases of where your mind is carrying you and I think the anniversary is obviously going to be difficult."

Following the sentencing of the three teenagers, she began a campaign to change the sentencing guidelines for police killers, dubbed Andrew's Law.

She said: "That's kept me quite busy so I think that's perhaps why this morning I found it a bit harder, but generally it's waves of emotions."

Debbie Adlam said PC Andrew Harper had created a "self-fulfilling" legacy.

She said: "The legacy is already there for Andrew because he's got so many people supporting him, so many people are sad for what's happened.

"The personal sense of grief that everybody has isn't just sympathy, they really do feel it.

"I think Andrew has created his own legacy in some ways because of the person that he was, the way he lived and the way people have reacted to it."

Asked what she hopes for next year's anniversary, she said: "Probably just the fact that they do remember him.

"If they remember him, they'll remember him with the love that they've got now.

READ ALSO: Officers gather at Newbury Police Station to pay respects to PC Harper.

"For him to be remembered for the person that he is now, in the way that he is now, would be plenty for us I think."

Mrs Adlam went on to thank the public for their support after her son's death.

She said: "We've had a massive response.

"I've only really seen the tip of the iceberg of the support that we've received from everywhere and this is country wide.

"People, they're not just supportive, they genuinely feel upset and angry, and it's like they're hurt, as well as us.

"It's more than just they want to support us, there is a big strength of feeling and that's really, really helpful to us."

She added: "It's kind of affirming that your feelings and your thoughts aren't just because of bias, we know about Andrew and the person that he was, we know the amazing, comical chap that he was to us, I think other people realise it too."