The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Harry Dunn’ s parents give evidence in US
The parents of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn have said they “stood up and spoke for him” after giving evidence under oath in a damages claim against their son’s alleged killer.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn gave legal testimony during their depositions on Thursday after flying out to Washington DC earlier this week.
Mr Dunn’s parents faced lawyers acting on behalf of suspect Anne Sacoolas, who left the UK after diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf following the 19-year-old’s death in August 2019.
Mrs Charles said her latest trip to the US had been “arduous and difficult” but added: “We stood up and spoke for him as he cannot speak for himself now.”
Sacoolas was charged with causing the teenager’s death by dangerous driving after her departure from the UK, but an extradition request was rejected by the US State Department in January last year.
The 43-year-old will also be required to give legal testimony by the end of August as part of the civil claim.
Speaking after her deposition, Mrs Charles said: “We can’t go into the detail of what happened at all but we were required to come out to the USA to do the depositions in person and that is just what we have done.
“Although it has been an arduous day and a difficult trip, right smack in the middle of the pandemic, the reality is that it is easy for us to come to the States and for us to talk about our son Harry and the impact his loss has had on all of us.
“We are enduring life, not living it, but we will do everything in our power to get justice for our boy and for ourselves.
“He deserves that. We deserve that, and we will not stop until we have achieved justice in both the civil and criminal cases.”
The depositions are part of the “discovery” process in the Dunn family’s claim, in which correspondence and documentation relevant to the case will be handed over ahead of a trial at the end of the year.