‘Corrupt and lawless’
Family’s furious attack on US for refusing to send back driver who killed their son
FURIOUS relatives of teenager Harry Dunn have vowed to continue their legal fight after the US rejected an official request to extradite the woman charged over his death.
A spokesman for the 19-year-old victim’s family last night accused Donald Trump of ‘running a corrupt and lawless administration’.
The outspoken attack came after the US State Department refused to hand over Anne Sacoolas, who ran down the teenage motorcyclist last summer.
The US claims that as the wife of a US intelligence officer, Mrs Sacoolas was covered by diplomatic immunity at the time of the crash, and described the extradition request, sent by Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday, as ‘highly inappropriate’. The State
Department said: ‘The use of an extradition treaty to attempt to return the spouse of a former diplomat by force would establish an extraordinarily troubling precedent.’ Hitting back, Harry’s devastated family said: ‘We are confident that when the legal process unfolds, Anne Sacoolas will be coming back to face justice.’
Radd Seiger, a US lawyer and spokesman for the family, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This US administration can pretty much do what it likes – they are corrupt and lawless.
‘Harry’s parents have done all they can – it’s now in the hands of the authorities. If it takes six months, one year or even five years, they are not going away. They will never let it go.’
Mrs Sacoolas, 42, had been driving a Volvo SUV on the wrong side of the road when it hit Harry in Northamptonshire. The collision happened outside RAF Croughton, the US spy base where her husband, Jonathan, worked. The American motherof-two spoke to police on the day of the incident, but was then flown out of the UK. Mrs Sacoolas later asked to be interviewed under caution and Northamptonshire officers flew to Virginia in October to question her. But her lawyer has said that she will not return voluntarily to Britain.
Last month, Harry’s mother Charlotte Charles, 44, was said to be distraught after film emerged of Mrs Sacoolas driving outside her home in the US. The Home Office said it was waiting for the US to respond in writing before commenting further.