Death crash parents’ White House summit
They demand justice from Trump’s team over US diplomat’s wife
‘Not there to get a pat on the back’ ‘We’re being kept in the dark’
THE family of Harry Dunn were invited for an ‘urgent meeting’ at the White House last night to discuss the circumstances surrounding their son’s death.
In a major breakthrough, the teenager’s parents were able to put their demands for justice to senior officials in Donald Trump’s administration.
Parents Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn demanded to know why Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence agent, claimed diplomatic immunity and fled back to America after being involved in a road smash in Britain in which Harry was knocked from his motorbike and killed.
They also asked why US citizen Mrs Sacoolas, 42, has not returned to the UK to face justice.
Harry’s parents raced from New York to Washington DC for the meeting yesterday as British police revealed they are about to submit a case file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Once this happens, the CPS can apply to extradite Mrs Sacoolas from the US.
The developments emerged a day after Mr Dunn appealed to Mr Trump ‘as a husband and a father’ to intervene in the case.
Before the meeting last night Mrs Charles, who yesterday wore a motorbike pin in memory of her son, said she was ‘really pleased’ about the invitation, but added: ‘We are keeping our fingers crossed that we’re not going to go and have a “there-there” pat on the back.’
The family said in a statement yesterday: ‘We are grateful for the invitation, which we hope represents a positive development in our fight for justice.
‘Friends tell each other the truth. If Britain and America are friends then we believe there should be no possibility of a citizen of one country hiding from justice in another while falsely claiming a privilege such as diplomatic immunity.’
It came after Mrs Sacoolas put out a second statement expressing remorse – and finally admitted she was driving on the wrong side of the road outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire when the teenager came towards her on a motorbike over a hill.
The mother- of-three said she had ‘no time to react’ and spoke to the fatally injured Harry before comforting two of her children who were with her. She said she was ‘terribly, terribly sorry for that tragic mistake’. But once again, she refused to say whether she was willing to return to the UK.
Responding to the comments, Mrs Charles said: ‘She is trying to shove us away again. We’ve made it so clear that we want to hear what she has to say face to face – rather than another statement, which is just pointless.
‘I need to hear and see her say it. And I won’t stop until I get that. She is hiding from justice by hiding behind another statement, which we don’t even know if she wrote. It’s deeply frustrating. We still feel we are being kept in the dark. With each day that goes past we find more obstructions. It should be a straightforward case.’ Harry’s father said he initially welcomed the new statement – but later felt it was insincere. He said: ‘What is the point of saying all that if she won’t come back to the UK? She said she is responsible for causing the crash and said she is sorry. So surely the next step should be to get on a plane. It’s not difficult.
‘At first I thought the new statement meant good news. But once I digested it and read it again, I realised she is just saying what we want to hear. I fear that she knows deep down she won’t be getting on a plane to the UK.’
It emerged yesterday that Amy Jeffress, a former high-ranking US Justice Department lawyer who is representing Mrs Sacoolas, is currently in London speaking to British police and lawyers.
Superintendent Sarah Johnson, of Northamptonshire Police, rejected claims made by Mrs Sacoolas that UK authorities were made aware she was leaving the country. She said the suspect told detectives she ‘had no plans to leave the country in the near future’. But as the case developed, police discovered that she had got on a flight back to the US without telling them, Supt Johnson said.
Harry suffered horrific injuries in the crash outside RAF Croughton, a US spy hub, seven weeks ago.
Mrs Sacoolas used her husband’s status to claim diplomatic immunity to escape prosecution. But the Foreign Office has since said that immunity no longer applies because he has left his posting.
Radd Seiger, a spokesman for Harry’s family, said the latest statement put out by Mrs Sacoolas ‘is simply a cynical attempt to salvage her position’.