Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
REVEALED: 15 SERIOUS CRASHES BY AIRBASES
Tragic Harry Dunn parents uncover shocking evidence
HARRY Dunn’s distraught parents have uncovered at least 15 serious car crashes involving US personnel near military bases on British soil.
They say the accidents all resulted in significant injury or death.
Bruce Charles, stepfather of tragic Harry, 19, told BBC Breakfast that the smashes date back 50 years.
He said: “Nearly every one of these cases involves a serviceman driving on he wrong side of the road. It’s definitely a pattern.
“A lot of it doesn’t get reported because there isn’t any dashcam footage of it. It has to stop. These bases have to realise they have issues with servicemen leaving the bases.”
Bruce, married to Harry’s mum Charlotte, added: “At the moment the bases don’t seem to really want to interact with us and engage with us so it’s very hard – but it is something we’re going to fight and fight for all the way, until we get results.
“I just think it’s shocking that this has been happening for so many years.”
Motorcyclist Harry died last August when he was in a collision with diplomat’s wife Anne Sacoolas, 42. The mum-of-three was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road near US intelligence base RAF Croughton, Northants.
She fled Britain while claiming diplomatic immunity but is now the subject of extradition proceedings on a charge of death by dangerous driving.
Harry’s mum Charlotte Charles, 44, said: “It just makes us feel compelled to work our hardest to ensure this stops happening. I can’t believe that this hasn’t been challenged before. We cannot allow this to continue without safety measures being put into place.” In October we revealed a mum had been rushed to hospital after a crash with an American serviceman just two miles from RAF Croughton. Mum-of-four Judy Chard, 69, suffered whiplash and injuries to her knees in the 1989 collision. Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley has now pledged to fund driver training for all US staff at Croughton. ‘Drive on the left’ signs have been erected at the base.