Please end my torture – mum’s plea to US driver who fled after death crash
HARRY Dunn’s mother has marked the first anniversary of his death by appealing to his alleged killer: “please end my torture”.
The 19-year-old motorcyclist died following a crash with a car driven by US citizen Anne Sacoolas, 42.
She fled the country citing diplomatic immunity leaving Harry’s parents Charlotte Charles, 45, and Tim Dunn, 51, with no closure.
They are relying on a change of government in the States or a forthcoming judicial review to put Sacoolas in the dock of a UK court.
But in a mum-to-mum plea Charlotte also revealed her hopes that Sacoolas will bring the situation to a close of her own accord.
She told her: “Just do the right thing and end my torture. Then you can move on with your life and we can start to rebuild ours.
“Set a good example to your children by picking up the phone and getting this sorted for your sake and ours.
“It’s never too late to give someone peace of mind and reach out to say sorry.”
Charlotte added: “If the apology was sincere then that one word would mean a huge amount to me.
“She will be very aware of the anniversary of Harry’s death as her birthday is the next day.”
BP garage worker Harry was killed as he rode past RAF Croughton in Northants, on August 27 last year.
The base is loaned to the US military and it is understood that Sacoolas’ husband worked there.
The mum-of-three was spoken to by police following the crash and initially said she would cooperate with the investigation.
But she later fled to her native country, claiming a legal anomaly offered her diplomatic immunity.
The last year has been a whirlwind for Charlotte and Tim, who live separately near Brackley.
Their fight for justice has seen them travel across the globe, even meeting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. But behind the brave Justice For Harry campaign is a grieving family struggling to move on.
Charlotte said: “I miss seeing him because he lived at home, I miss touching him, I miss his cuddles.
“I miss the trail of destruction he left whenever he walked through the back door – boots and socks in the kitchen, his jacket slung over a chair,T-shirt and jeans on the stairs.”
Harry’s beloved Alpinestars motorbike jacket still hangs from a chair in the kitchen.
Charlotte said: “I touch it or look at it as a way of saying ‘Hi Harry’. It doesn’t smell of him anymore but it was his pride and joy and having it there makes me calmer.
“It will remain there until justice is done. It’s a reminder to me to keep fighting.” The family is confident a judicial review in November will overturn the Foreign Office’s decision to respect Sacoolas’ diplomatic immunity.
The FCO said she was entitled to protection from prosecution through her husband Jonathan’s work as a US diplomat. She added: “If the court rules Sacoolas did not have diplomatic immunity then she has to come back, no ifs or buts.”
Charlotte has not yet planned how she will honour the first anniversary of her son’s death next Thursday.
But she hopes to travel down to Portland, Dorset, the following day to visit the scenic clifftop where his ashes were scattered.
Harry fell in love with the coastline after holidaying there as a child.
Charlotte added: “He passed his bike test on his 16th birthday and got up at 5am the next day to ride to Portland.
“It took him five hours each way on his 50cc bike, because he was not allowed on motorways and had a max speed of 40mph.”
She added: “The determination to get justice is never going to leave me. It has never wavered, not even on my darkest days.
“I know justice will be done. I just don’t know when.”