Dunn’s parents to sue Foreign Office over ‘unlawful’ advice

The family of Harry Dunn has begun legal action against the Foreign Office, arguing that the suspect in the crash that killed him should never have been given diplomatic immunity.

Anne Sacoolas, the US citizen who admitted driving on the wrong side of the road and hitting the teenager, is married to an intelligence officer based at RAF Croughton and says she is therefore not susceptible to prosecution under UK law.

But, the Dunn family are arguing that this cannot be the case because her husband is not a diplomat.

After meeting Geoffery Robertson QC, a human rights barrister, the family’s spokesman Radd Seiger told Sky News: “The Foreign Office’s decision to advise Northamptonshire Police that Mrs Sacoolas had the benefit of diplomatic immunity was unlawful and we will be seeking a judicial review of that decision to have it quashed.”

A judicial review is a type of court proceeding in which a judge reviews the legality of a decision or action made by a public body.

The family are also referring Northamptonshire Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over their actions during the investigation into his death.

Lawyers have begun the process of drafting letters, including a “letter of claim”, – a prelude to a judicial review – about the advice given to Northamptonshire Police by the Foreign Office, as well as a letter to request an investigation by the IOPC into the conduct of the force.

Mr Seiger said this was “just the beginning” and that

‘We have done everything we can to clear a path so that justice can be done’

they would also, at a later stage, review the role of the US administration in granting diplomatic immunity to Mrs Sacoolas.

The family is also to consider civil action against 42-year-old Mrs Sacoolas.

Last night, the Foreign Office responded by saying: “The individual involved had diplomatic immunity whilst in the country under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“We have done everything we can properly to clear a path so that justice can be done for Harry’s family.”