Harry Dunn’s family reject US offer of ‘community service’
Suggestion of doing community service in the US is a non-starter
The family of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn have refused an offer of community service and a monetary contribution from his alleged killer. Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Law in Action, Amy Jeffress, the lawyer for suspect Anne Sacoolas, said that it was their understanding that “community service is a typical sentence for offences like this”. She added that they initially made this suggestion over a year ago, along with an offer to “make a contribution in Harry’s memory”.
Harry was killed in August 2019 when he was struck by a vehicle being driven on the wrong side of the road. Anne Sacoolas admitted she was behind the wheel but fled the UK after claiming diplomatic immunity. Northampshire Police subsequently charged Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving but an extradition request was rejected by the American government in 2020. In an attempt to defend Sacoolas’ actions, her lawyer said that she “instinctively” drove on the right rather than left side of the road after being here just a few weeks and that it was a “tragic mistake” that she “never denied was her fault”. The lawyer further claimed that because there was no reckless intent, such as drink driving, this sort of incident would not be prosecuted criminally and that may be a factor in why the US has refused her extradition.
‘It’d be a typical sentence for a matter like this’
The Dunn family have refused Sacoolas’ offer of community service and a payout, saying through their family representative that while they acknowledge she did not intend to kill Harry, she does not simply get to choose her own punishment and should instead return to the UK to face trial.
March 17 2021