Family fury over Harry Dunn legal costs claim

THE parents of a teenager who died when his motorbike was hit by a car driven by the wife of a US intelligence official are ‘livid’ that the Government is seeking legal costs against them.

Harry Dunn, 19, died in August after Anne Sacoolas crashed into his motorbike near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire. She later admitted she was driving on the wrong side of the road.

Harry’s grieving parents are taking legal action against Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, accusing him of misusing or abusing his power by granting the 42-year-old diplomatic immunity, after which she left the country. Yesterday, Mr Raab said that while the move to seek legal costs against the family ‘pains’ him, the Foreign Office had a duty to the taxpayer.

‘The representative of the family is suing the Foreign Office and they’ve talked about a litigation strategy in the US as well,’ he told Sky News.

‘They’re crowdfunding for that purpose and we just cannot responsibly allow ourselves to be sued without taking the normal action in defending ourselves when the position that the representative and the family are pursuing in law is wrong. It

‘I want to give them solace of justice’

pains me because I want to give them the solace of justice in this case. But we also need to protect the taxpayers’ money and the legal position that we set out, which is the correct one. It’s very difficult, but that’s the position that we’re in.’

Mr Raab insisted that as a father, his ‘heart goes out’ to Harry’s parents. He said his department was ‘doing everything it can’ to support police and prosecutors in obtaining justice for the teenager.

But Radd Seiger, a spokesman for Harry’s parents, said they were ‘livid’.

‘They are not engaged in some frivolous, vexatious litigation frolic of their own against the [Foreign Office],’ he added. ‘Quite the opposite. They are British citizens who have had their entitlement to justice robbed from them by the US government under the watch of Mr Raab and the Foreign Office. He knows perfectly well that Mrs Sacoolas never had diplomatic immunity. The parents are entitled to answers and the truth.

‘If he is so concerned about taxpayers’ money in the litigation, then he would come and talk to us to find a resolution.’

It is understood to be government practice to seek costs in legal cases of this type.