Our victory for Harry
Parents win fight to shut diplomatic loophole, but his ‘killer’ stays in US
britain and the US yesterday agreed to close a loophole which allowed an american driver to flee the UK after the crash which killed teenager Harry Dunn.
anne Sacoolas, 43, cited diplomatic immunity after her car was in collision with 19-year-old Harry’s motorbike outside a military base where her husband – a reported spy – worked.
a court heard last month there was a secret agreement between the UK and US granting protection to spouses of ‘diplomats’. in a written statement yesterday, Foreign Secretary Dominic raab said the ‘anomaly’ extending criminal immunity to family members had ended.
He insisted it meant no other family would have to go through what Harry’s parents had endured. tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles, who met Mr raab yesterday, welcomed the ‘huge development’ but said their fight would continue to get Mrs Sacoolas to return to face a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
the changes announced yesterday will not be back-dated to effect Mrs Sacoolas – said to be a former Cia agent. Mrs Charles, 45, who is separated from Mr Dunn, said: ‘We are incredibly proud of this achievement. Harry would have been proud. We knew from the start that we did not want any family to go through what we have been through. Having achieved that success, we now move on to make sure anne Sacoolas comes back.’
Harry was in collision with Mrs
Sacoolas’s car outside raF Croughton in northamptonshire – a US military base – in august last year. He died later in hospital. Mr raab said in the statement: ‘no family should have to experience what they have gone through and i recognise that
‘Changes won’t bring him back’
these changes will not bring Harry back.
‘However, i hope that the knowledge that the Croughton arrangements have been revised and that a family in their position would now see justice done brings some measure of comfort.’ the US
State Department said the amendment of the diplomatic immunity arrangements at raF Croughton was a ‘reflection of our especially close relationship’ with the UK. but Mrs Charles, from Charlton, northamptonshire, said: ‘i don’t understand what this special relationship is when they [the US] have clearly just put their foot down on something that is just totally and utterly morally wrong.
‘For them to agree to having this loophole plugged effectively is surely admitting that they jumped through that loophole and abused it almost 11 months ago.’
Mrs Charles said she gave some credit to Mr raab and his team ‘but the only time i will ever give them full credit will be when they have worked with us to get anne Sacoolas back.’
Mr Dunn said he had ‘mixed emotions’, adding: ‘this is great news... but if it’s right for now, why was it not right 11 months ago?
‘this has been changed because it was wrong – so if it was wrong, why can’t they admit it was wrong and send her back?’
Family spokesman radd Seiger said after they met Mr raab he appeared ‘defeatist’, adding: ‘He said “there is not a lot more i can do now”.
‘this reveals how insignificant the UK is on the world stage. Our concern is raab is leading the charge and we can see he is a little boy in an adults’ world.’