Harry Dunn’s family ‘reassured’ after visit from Home Secretary
THE family of Harry Dunn have been “reassured” that the teenager’s death “will be dealt with under the rule of law” after Priti Patel and Andrea Leadsom visited their home.
Home Secretary Priti Patel’s office is considering extraditing the US suspect charged with causing the teenager’s death by dangerous driving.
Ms Patel sat with Harry’s father, Tim Dunn, yesterday just days after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had authorised Northamptonshire Police to charge US citizen Anne Sacoolas.
Harry’s mother, Charlotte Charles, did not attend the meeting in north Oxfordshire.
The CPS said that extradition proceedings had started, noting that the “Home Office is responsible for considering our request and deciding whether to formally issue this through US diplomatic channels”.
Speaking after the meeting, Ms Patel said she was “very grateful” to the family for meeting her during such a difficult and traumatic time.
She added: “It was a nice opportunity to hear from them, obviously about what they have been experiencing, and to reassure them at what has been a very traumatic time.”
Radd Seiger, a spokesman for the Dunn family, said: “We feel reassured that this saga will be dealt with under the rule of law.”
Mr Dunn said it had been a “very positive meeting” with the Home Secretary. “She was open, friendly, warm, and listened to what we had to say. It was a very positive meeting,” he said.
“We have had a week of positive meetings, which has been a great way to end the year.”
But Mr Dunn added that Christmas without his son would be hard. “He loved Christmas. It was his favourite time of year,” he said.
“People have one Christmas jumper
– Harry would have four Christmas jumpers. Every day he would be wearing one.”
Mrs Sacoolas, 42, and her family had been based at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire. She sparked outrage after her car allegedly hit the 19-year-old on Aug 27 and then claimed diplomatic immunity due to her husband’s job.
It was only after she left the UK on a military flight from the airbase that the Foreign Office wrote to the family to say immunity in her case was not valid.
After the Dunn family’s campaign – which included a trip to the White House – the CPS brought the charge, a decision the US government labelled “disappointing” and “unhelpful”.
The meeting was also attended by the family’s South Northamptonshire MP Andrea Leadsom, who said there was a “clear process” for extradition.
She added: “As the Home Secretary has made clear, we have a very clear process in the UK. There’s a clear extradition treaty and it is absolutely vital that we get justice for Harry.”
Mr Seiger said the family was angry that Mrs Sacoolas was back in the US and not still in Britain.
“They don’t understand why this lady is back in America. They feel she should never have been allowed to go and should come back,” he said.