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THE WHITE HOUSE has asked for an “urgent meeting” with the family of Harry Dunn.
A family spokesman said the 19-year-old’s parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, will go to Washington DC later today.
The teenager was killed when his motorbike was involved in a head-on collision outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in England in August.
Anne Sacoolas, the motorist allegedly responsible for the crash, was given diplomatic immunity and allowed to return to the US after the crash.
The family travelled to the US earlier this week and said they would be trying to convince President Donald Trump to reverse the decision.
In an earlier statement, the teenager’s family said: “We will be meeting with various news channels to spread our campaign with all of America and ultimately hope that the American government see that it is right to send Anne Sacoolas back to the UK to face our justice system.”
The family, who met Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb last week, have also demanded an investigation over the Foreign Office’s (FCO) advice to Northamptonshire Police that Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity.
They are demanding to see all emails, messages and notes sent in relation to her immunity status.
Investigation
Speaking in New York, family spokesman Radd Seiger said: “We want to conduct an investigation into the FCO’s decision to advise Northamptonshire Police that this lady had the benefit of diplomatic immunity.
What we don’t know is whether somebody cocked up or whether they were put under pressure by the Americans to concede.
If they are not happy with the documents, the family say they will then ask for a judge’s opinion on the lawfulness of the FCO’s decision.
Seiger added: “If we’re not satisfied, then we’ll go to a judicial review and ask a High Court judge to review it all.”
On Saturday, before the family left for the US, they received a letter from Raab, saying that Sacoolas (42) no longer had immunity.
“The letter is worded very carefully, they’re not saying it’s just a change of heart – they are saying that it’s an evolution,” Seiger said.
He also said that the family’s lawyers, Mark Stephens and Geoffrey Robertson QC, believe “they’ve (the FCO) been lying to you”.
Charles and Dunn said: “We were astonished last Saturday to receive the hand-delivered letter from the FCO indicating that Mrs Sacoolas did not in fact have diplomatic immunity.
We were still reeling from our terrible meeting with Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary, last Wednesday, just three days earlier, where he was adamant that Mrs Sacoolas did have immunity.
“Something is not right. We will not rest until we get the truth. We will not let Harry passing be in vain.”
‘Terribly sorry’
Sacoolas has said she is “terribly sorry” about the incident and that she had “no time to react” when she saw Dunn’s motorbike.
Her lawyer, Amy Jeffress, told the Mirror: “Anne was driving on the wrong side of the road and is terribly, terribly sorry for that tragic mistake.
“She wants to meet the family and apologise and take responsibility. Anne had no time to react when she saw the motorbike.”
Jeffress, from US firm Arnold & Porter, said the diplomat’s wife also stayed at the scene and flagged down other people to help the teenager.
Jeffress added: “She spoke to Harry to tell him that she would call for help.
“She waved down another car. That driver offered to assist Harry so that Anne could comfort her young children in her car.”
The FCO has been contacted for comment.
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They’ll probably be presented with a 10% off voucher for a Trump resort.
They (The UK) say she no longer has Diplomatic Immunity in the UK, of course she doesn’t, she is home! You can’t have Diplomatic Immunity outside the country you claim it (are acreddited to) ,and certainly not in your home country! They should start the prosecution process up to and including subpaeona for a court appearance, the US has to envoke Diplomatic immunity then, if they wish to. Otherwise she is just a fugitive from Justice.
@Gerry Cummins: if she were extradited from the USA back to the UK to face prosecution for, e.g. causing death by dangerous driving, the question would be whether she could claim ‘diplomatic immunity’ in those criminal proceedings.
@Gerry Cummins: I’d like to know why Britain gave her diplomatic immunity so quickly knowing well(of course they knew) what was about to come.
To hear Trump saying “ it’s something we’ve all done right?” ( referring to driving on the wrong side of the road while in another country) was disgraceful disrespectful & just totally insensitive! Sometimes it’s better to say nothing!
@Colette Kearns: But it does happen all the time and is a very easy mistake to make.
However this woman’s evasion of justice is worse than the original “crime” at this stage.
She didn’t have diplomatic immunity because her husband isn’t a diplomat. He is an intelligence officer who’s job was to monitor UK citizens communications. GCHQ and the yanks use their people in the other country to monitor the communications of that country and sent intel on to the host country. This bypasses legal restrictions on spying on their own citizens. She never had diplomatic immunity, only accredited diplomats on the British Diplomatic List have this. The Brits facilitated her leaving, presumably to keep a lid on their spying on their own people
Just send her back to UK. already
Just how many times do you have to repeat a falsity that they’re diplomats . He is an NSA spook . Not a diplomat .
have your say