Harry Dunn’s parents in official complaint against CPS
THE PARENTS of Harry Dunn have lodged an official complaint against the Crown Prosecution Service, claiming they have been left “totally in the dark” and “completely unsupported”.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn issued the complaint through their MP, Andrea Leadsom, accusing the CPS of a “serious and wholesale breach of the Victims’ Code”.
The CPS were handed the complete file of evidence in November and eventually charged 42-yearold American Anne Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving around seven weeks later on December 20.
Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn had requested two meetings in that period but the Chief Crown Prosecutor Janine Smith told them a meeting would “not be possible”.
Ms Smith wrote to Harry’s parents in March to say the CPS were
“satisfied it has fulfilled its responsibilities under the Victims’ Code”, adding that explaining their next steps could “compromise operational effectiveness”.
Harry, 19, was killed when his motorcycle crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire last August.
Mrs Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity and was able to return to her home country, sparking controversy.
Speaking on behalf of the family, their spokesman Radd Seiger said: “They are in the precise position that the Victims’ Code requires them not to be, totally in the dark and feeling completely unsupported.
“It is now nearly four months since the USA rejected the extradition request for Anne Sacoolas yet there has not even been the slightest attempt on the part of the CPS to make contact with the parents to keep them up to date or discuss their needs.
“It is the most serious and wholesale breach of the Victims’ Code I have come across and it is totally unacceptable, heaping further needless misery on the parents.
“Worse still, they have failed to offer any meaningful explanation for the breach despite my best attempts to politely remind them of their responsibilities.”
He added: “The parents have rights and we will ensure those are met.”
A spokeswoman for the CPS said: “We have kept Harry Dunn’s family up to date at all stages and the Director of Public Prosecutions has met them to explain the charging decision in person. We have worked to meet the Victim’s Code at all times.”
Harry Dunn was killed in a crash with a car outside a US military base last August.