U.S. gives immunity to diplomat's wife after U.K. crash that killed teen

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U.S. gives immunity to diplomat's wife after U.K. crash that killed teen
Reuters
Published:
October 5, 2019
Updated:
October 5, 2019 9:47 AM EDT
(Getty Images)
LONDON — Britain’s foreign minister on Saturday urged the United States to reconsider its decision to let a U.S. diplomat’s wife who was involved in a fatal car crash to use her diplomatic immunity to leave Britain.
Harry Dunn, 19, died after a road collision near RAF Croughton, an air force base in Northamptonshire in central England that is used by the United States.
“I wish to offer my condolences to the family affected by this tragic incident,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement.
Police said they had applied for a waiver from diplomatic immunity to allow investigations and an interview.
“Unfortunately we were latterly advised that the waiver had been declined and the suspect had left the UK,” Northamptonshire Police Superintendent Sarah Johnson told Sky News television.
Raab said he regretted the U.S. decision.
“I have called the U.S. Ambassador to express the UK’s disappointment with their decision, and to urge the Embassy to re-consider it,” he said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in London said: “Any questions regarding a waiver of immunity with regard to our diplomats and their family members overseas in a case like this receive intense attention at senior levels.
“The U.S. Embassy continues to be in close contact with the appropriate British officials.”
http://torontosun.com/news/world/u-...plomats-wife-after-u-k-crash-that-killed-teen
 

spaminator

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U.S. diplomat's wife flees after killing teen in wrong-way crash: U.K.
Brad Hunter
Published:
October 8, 2019
Updated:
October 8, 2019 9:31 AM EDT
After allegedly running down a British schoolboy in a head-on crash, Anne Sacoolas fled the country.
Harry Dunn was 19 years old when he was killed by a vehicle being driven on the wrong side of the road.
The prime suspect is the wife of an American diplomat who has since allegedly fled the U.K.
Now, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked the U.S. to reconsider the diplomatic immunity of Anne Sacoolas, 42.
According to cops, Sacoolas pulled out on the wrong side of the road and slammed into Dunn’s motorcycle in August.
Sacoolas originally cooperated with cops but then claimed diplomatic immunity and fled Britain.
Johnson’s people called the case “extremely concerning” and urged the Americans to “reconsider their position” so “the justice process can take place.”
“I think everybody’s sympathies are with the family of Harry Dunn for their tragic loss,” Johnson said. “But I do not think that it can be right to use the process of diplomatic immunity for this type of purpose.”
Harry Dunn, 19, was killed in the crash. FACEBOOK
The PM added: “I hope Anne Sacoolas will come back and will engage properly with the processes of law that are carried out in this country.”
The dead teen’s parents have even begged U.S. President Donald Trump to take action.
“President Trump, please listen. We’re a family in ruin. We’re broken,” the family said.”We can’t grieve. Please, please let her get back on a plane.”
According to cops, Sacoolas — a Virginia native — had been in the country for just three weeks. Her children went to the $30,000 school where the dead man’s dad worked as a janitor.
Bizarrely, diplomats and their families stationed at RAF Croughton have diplomatic immunity.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Sacoolas’ hubby was a senior spy.
“He was working at Croughton, which is a communications base, so he was working with intelligence which is, I guess, why it has been handled in the way that it has,” said Radd Seiger.
Sky News reported that the woman was advised by the U.S. embassy in London to flee the country.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/u-s-diplomats-wife-flees-after-killing-teen-in-wrong-way-crash-uk
 

spaminator

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Trump 'will speak to' spy's scofflaw wife accused of killing teen
Brad Hunter
Published:
October 9, 2019
Updated:
October 9, 2019 7:45 PM EDT
After allegedly running down a British schoolboy in a head-on crash, Anne Sacoolas fled the country.
The scofflaw wife of an American spy accused of running down and killing a British teen was bundled out of the UK on a clandestine private flight.
The incident has infuriated the British and put U.S. President Donald Trump on notice.
Anne Sacoolas, 42, slammed into 19-year-old motorcyclist Harry Dunn while driving on the wrong side of the road as she left RAF Croughton in August.
But within days she was whisked out of the country.
And while she is claiming diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention, her name does not appear as an official diplomat, the UK Sun reported.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the issue up with Donald Trump.
Sacoolas had only been in the UK for three weeks at the time of the crash. It’s believed she had forgotten to drive on the left side of the road when the crash occurred.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken the matter up with the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump will not turn over Sacoolas, but said he wanted to arrange “some healing” between the American and the dead boy’s family.
His parents have said they don’t want the mother of three sent to jail but do want a reckoning. And they could also sue.
“There’s a strong case to be made that if the US government is asserting immunity on behalf of this person then the US government assumes liability for their conduct,” one legal expert said.
“When the individual receives immunity for conduct related to their official business — so if she were driving and it had something to do with their official duties — then the immunity is lifelong.
“But when an individual is engaged in personal conduct, the immunity only lasts for the period of time they’re assigned to that country.”
http://torontosun.com/news/world/trump-will-speak-to-spys-scofflaw-wife-accused-of-killing-teen
 

spaminator

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Family of U.K. teen killed in crash want U.S. diplomat's wife to 'do the right thing'
Reuters
Published:
October 14, 2019
Updated:
October 14, 2019 3:05 PM EDT
Tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles, parents of British teen Harry Dunn who was killed in a car crash on his motorcycle, allegedly by the wife of an American diplomat, attend a news conference in Manhattan, N.Y., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019.Carlo Allegri / Reuters
The parents of a British teenager killed in a car crash involving a U.S. diplomat’s wife vowed on Monday to keep fighting until they get justice for their son after the American woman returned to the United States following the accident.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn spoke to media in New York during a visit intended to put pressure on the Trump administration to have Anne Sacoolas to be sent back to face British investigators.
“She needs to just do the right thing and just come back and face what she’s done,” said Charles, her voice breaking with emotion. “We promised Harry as a family when we lost him that night … that we would make sure justice was done.”
Harry Dunn, 19, died after a car driven by Sacoolas crashed into his motorbike near RAF Croughton, an air force base in Northamptonshire in central England used by the U.S. military.
Vehicles drive on the left in the United Kingdom, and the American woman was driving on the wrong side of the road when the accident happened, Dunn’s family said.
A spokesman for Dunn’s parents said the family would travel to Washington this week to put pressure on U.S. authorities and that they were looking for legal assistance in the United States.
“The people on the other side of this dispute need to understand that this family here are determined to get justice for Harry,” spokesman Radd Seiger told reporters.
Through her lawyers, Sacoolas said she is “devastated” and wants to meet with Dunn’s family, according to media reports. Seiger said a meeting between the two parties depended on Sacoolas’ willingness to return to Britain.
Sacoolas left Britain under a claim of diplomatic immunity that has become a point of contention between the two countries.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week urged U.S. President Donald Trump to reconsider a decision to let her claim immunity.
Trump has said his administration would look into the matter, without offering details.
“It was a terrible accident,” Trump told reporters last week. “We’re going to speak to her and we’re going to see the person driving the car, the wife of the diplomat. We’re going to speak to her and see what we can come up with so that there can be some healing.”
http://torontosun.com/news/world/fa...want-u-s-diplomats-wife-to-do-the-right-thing
 

spaminator

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Police to interview U.S. diplomat's wife about fatal crash in U.K.
Reuters
Published:
October 22, 2019
Updated:
October 22, 2019 9:25 AM EDT
In this file photo taken on October 10, 2019, floral tributes lay on the roadside near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, at the spot where British motorcyclist Harry Dunn was killed on August 27. ( LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
LONDON — British police officers will travel to the United States to interview the wife of a U.S. diplomat who was given diplomatic immunity after her alleged involvement in a car crash which killed a British teenager.
Harry Dunn, 19, died in August after his motorcycle collided with a car driven by Anne Sacoolas near RAF Croughton, an air force base in Northamptonshire, central England, used by the U.S. military.
Sacoolas left Britain shortly after the accident, setting off a diplomatic tug-of-war between London and Washington over whether she should return to face investigation.
“The suspect has cooperated fully with the police and with the authorities,” Nick Adderley, chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, told reporters.
“She has also requested to be interviewed by British police officers, under caution, in the United States.”
Adderley said that once visas were arranged for officers they would be traveling to the U.S. to interview the suspect.
On Monday, foreign minister Dominic Raab told parliament Britain was reviewing the rules which govern diplomatic immunity arrangements for U.S. personnel at the air force base.
President Donald Trump met Dunn’s parents earlier this month in Washington, saying their meeting was “sad” but “beautiful.” In a subsequent interview, the family said they felt pressure to allow Sacoolas to join the session.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/police-to-interview-u-s-diplomats-wife-about-fatal-crash-in-u-k
 

spaminator

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U.S. diplomat's wife charged in U.K. over deadly car crash
Reuters
Published:
December 20, 2019
Updated:
December 20, 2019 2:57 PM EST
Charlotte Charles, mother of Harry Dunn joins an anti-Donald Trump protest as NATO Leaders attend a reception at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 3 2019, in London, England. Peter Summers / Getty Images
LONDON — British prosecutors said on Friday they had decided to charge the wife of a U.S. diplomat over a fatal car crash in England and to seek her extradition, a decision that “disappointed” Washington.
Harry Dunn, 19, died after his motorcycle was in a collision with a car driven by Anne Sacoolas near RAF Croughton, an air force base in the English county of Northamptonshire that is used by the U.S. military.
Sacoolas, 42, was given diplomatic immunity and left Britain shortly after the accident, setting off a dispute between London and Washington over whether she should return to face investigation.
She said she would not return voluntarily to face a potential jail sentence.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday it would charge Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving and had started legal proceedings.
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But it said it was up to the Home Office (interior ministry) to decide whether to seek Sacoolas’ extradition formally through diplomatic channels.
British foreign minister Dominic Raab welcomed the charging decision, adding in a statement: “I hope that Anne Sacoolas will now realize the right thing to do is to come back to the UK and cooperate with the criminal justice process.”
The U.S. State department expressed disappointment.
“We are disappointed by today’s announcement and fear that it will not bring a resolution closer,” a State Department spokesperson said.
“The United States has been clear that, at the time the accident occurred, and for the duration of her stay in the UK, the driver in this case had status that conferred diplomatic immunities.”
Sacoolas’ lawyer Amy Jeffress said her would not be going back to Britain to face trial.
“Anne will not return voluntarily to the United Kingdom to face a potential jail sentence for what was a terrible but unintentional accident,” Jeffress said in a statement.
‘BEAUTIFUL’ BUT ‘SAD’
Dunn’s case gained international prominence when his parents met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in October, an occasion he described as “beautiful” but “sad.”
Trump hoped to persuade them meet Sacoolas, who was in the building at the same time, but they declined.
Sacoolas initially cooperated with local police after the crash, but later said she had diplomatic immunity.
The White House and the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The maximum jail sentence in Britain for causing death by dangerous driving is 14 years.
Dunn’s mother, Charlotte Charles, broke down in tears after finding out charges had been brought, saying it meant she had kept a promise to her son to get him justice.
“We had no idea it was going to be this hard and it would take this long, but we really do feel it is a huge step towards that promise to Harry,” she told reporters.
Edward Grange, a partner at the criminal law firm Corker Binning, said Sacoolas could voluntarily attend a hearing in Britain and that if she failed to appear, it could lead to an extradition request.
“The prospect of an extradition request succeeding remains to be seen, particularly in light of comment from the Trump Administration that it is very reluctant to allow its citizens to be tried abroad,” he said.
http://torontosun.com/news/crime/u-s-diplomats-wife-charged-in-u-k-over-deadly-car-crash
 

Hoid

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this has been going on in Europe for decades.

and american runs someone over in europe you have to sue them through their home sate.
 

spaminator

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U.K. PM Johnson says he will keep pressing U.S. over fatal crash caused by diplomat's wife
Reuters
Published:
December 21, 2019
Updated:
December 21, 2019 9:13 AM EST
Harry Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles poses in front of a banner outside the Buckingham Palace as people demonstrate during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit for NATO summit, in London, Britain December 3, 2019. DYLAN MARTINEZ / REUTERS
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday he would carry on trying to help the family of 19-year-old Briton Harry Dunn, killed in a road collision with a U.S. diplomat’s wife who then left the country.
“The law should take its course and we will obviously be following that case with keen interest and continuing to make representations on behalf of Harry Dunn’s family in the U.S. at every level,” Johnson said.
He was speaking to British broadcasters during a visit to Estonia.
Family of U.K. teen killed in crash want U.S. diplomat's wife to 'do the right thing'
U.S. gives immunity to diplomat's wife after U.K. crash that killed teen
U.S. diplomat's wife charged in U.K. over deadly car crash
British prosecutors said on Friday they would charge Anne Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving and seek her extradition over the crash in August in which Dunn was killed while riding his motorbike.
Sacoolas’ lawyer said her client would not return voluntarily to Britain to face a potential jail sentence for “a terrible but unintentional accident.”
Story continues below
Johnson has previously said he wants Sacoolas to return to Britain and that she was wrong to use diplomatic immunity to leave.
Dunn’s parents met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in October. Trump hoped to persuade them meet to Sacoolas, who was in the building at the same time, but they declined.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/u-...u-s-over-fatal-crash-caused-by-diplomats-wife
 

spaminator

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U.S. rebuffs Britain's request for extradition of diplomat's wife
Reuters
Published:
January 10, 2020
Updated:
January 10, 2020 6:24 PM EST
In this file photo taken on October 10, 2019, floral tributes lay on the roadside near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, at the spot where British motorcyclist Harry Dunn was killed as he travelled along the B4031 on August 27. (LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON/LONDON — The United States on Friday rejected a formal request from Britain for the extradition of a U.S. diplomat’s wife who left the country last year after a road collision that killed 19-year-old Briton Harry Dunn.
British prosecutors are seeking the extradition of Anne Sacoolas over the crash last August in which Dunn was killed while riding his motorbike.
“Following the Crown Prosecution Service’s charging decision, the Home Office has sent an extradition request to the United States for Anne Sacoolas on charges of causing death by dangerous driving,” a UK Home Office spokesman said in a statement on Friday.
“This is now a decision for the U.S. authorities.”
A U.S. State Department spokesman said Washington would not grant the request.
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“Under the circumstances of this case, we strongly believe that an extradition request would be highly inappropriate,” the spokesman said in a statement.
“The United States has been clear that, at the time the accident occurred, and for the duration of her stay in the UK, the driver in this case had status that conferred diplomatic immunities,” the statement said.
“The use of an extradition treaty to attempt to return the spouse of a former diplomat by force would establish an extraordinarily troubling precedent,” it said.
Dunn’s family has said Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash near an air force base in central England used by the U.S. military.
Sacoolas, 42, was given diplomatic immunity and left Britain shortly after the accident. Her lawyer has said that she would not return voluntarily to Britain to possibly face jail for “a terrible but unintentional accident.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Sacoolas was wrong to use diplomatic immunity to leave Britain and has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to reconsider the U.S. position.
Dunn’s parents met Trump at the White House in October. Trump hoped to persuade them meet to Sacoolas, who was in the building at the same time, but they declined.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/br...ition-of-u-s-diplomats-wife-after-fatal-crash
 

Ocean Breeze

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One might hope that the media makes her life a living hell.
Do I ever agree with you.!!!!!


This is just sickening.....so the new get out of jail card is immunity for the rich and shamelessly connected.

For goodness sake she KILLED a young man...... and then took off back to the US for cover.
 

spaminator

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U.S. denies U.K's extradition request for diplomat's wife
Reuters
Published:
January 23, 2020
Updated:
January 23, 2020 10:24 PM EST
A general view of flowers left in remembrance of Harry Dunn on the B4031 near RAF Croughton on October 7, 2019 near Brackley, England. Peter Summers / Getty Images
WASHINGTON — The United States has declined Britain’s request for the extradition of a U.S. diplomat’s wife who was involved in a car crash last year that killed a British teenager, the State Department said on Thursday.
British prosecutors have requested the extradition of Anne Sacoolas over the crash last August in which 19-year-old Briton Harry Dunn was killed while riding his motorbike.
“At the time the accident occurred, and for the duration of her stay in the UK, the U.S. citizen driver in this case had immunity from criminal jurisdiction,” a State Department representative said in a statement.
“If the United States were to grant the UK’s extradition request, it would render the invocation of diplomatic immunity a practical nullity and would set an extraordinarily troubling precedent,” the statement said.
Dunn’s family has said Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash near an air force base in central England used by the U.S. military.
Story continues below
Sacoolas was given diplomatic immunity and left Britain shortly after the accident. Her lawyer has said that she would not return voluntarily to Britain to possibly face jail for “a terrible but unintentional accident.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Sacoolas was wrong to use diplomatic immunity to leave Britain and has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to reconsider the U.S. position.
Dunn’s parents met Trump at the White House in October. Trump hoped to persuade them meet to Sacoolas, who was in the building at the same time, but they declined.
U.S. rebuffs Britain's request for extradition of diplomat's wife
U.K. PM Johnson says he will keep pressing U.S. over fatal crash caused by diplomat's wife
U.S. diplomat's wife charged in U.K. over deadly car crash
http://torontosun.com/news/world/u-s-denies-u-ks-extradition-request-for-diplomats-wife
 

spaminator

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U.S. diplomat's wife to face UK court hearing over fatal car crash
Author of the article:
Reuters
Reuters
Andrew Macaskill
Publishing date:
Dec 13, 2021 • 19 hours ago • 1 minute read •
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After allegedly running down a British schoolboy in a head-on crash, Anne Sacoolas fled the country.
After allegedly running down a British schoolboy in a head-on crash, Anne Sacoolas fled the country.
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LONDON — The wife of a U.S. diplomat is due to face a London court hearing next month over a fatal car crash in England in a case that led to diplomatic tensions between Britain and the United States.
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Harry Dunn, 19, died after his motorcycle was in a collision in August 2019 with a car driven by Anne Sacoolas near RAF Croughton, an air force base in the English county of Northamptonshire that is used by the U.S. military.

Sacoolas left Britain shortly after the accident, claiming diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution. The United States has refused to extradite her.
A general view of flowers left in remembrance of Harry Dunn on the B4031 near RAF Croughton on October 7, 2019 near Brackley, England.
A general view of flowers left in remembrance of Harry Dunn on the B4031 near RAF Croughton on October 7, 2019 near Brackley, England. Photo by Peter Summers /Getty Images

“While the challenges and complexity of this case are well known, we remain committed to securing justice in this matter,” a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said.

The case will be heard at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Jan. 18, with British media reporting Sacoolas will appear by video link. The CPS declined to comment on that.
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Sacoolas’ lawyer in 2020 said that she would not return voluntarily to potentially face jail for “a terrible but unintentional accident.”

The U.S. Embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The CPS statement on Monday did not specify the charge she would face but it previously said it would charge her with causing death by dangerous driving.

In the years since the crash, Dunn’s parents, with the support of the British government, have campaigned for Sacoolas to be prosecuted in Britain.

In 2019, Dunn’s parents travelled to the White House for a meeting with then-President Donald Trump, who surprised them by revealing that Sacoolas was in an adjoining room. Dunn’s parents declined to meet her.

Earlier this year the then-British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the path was clear for British authorities to see whether a virtual trial or other process involving Sacoolas could be used to allow “some accountability and some solace and some justice for the Dunn family.”
 

Dixie Cup

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Unfortunately this isn't new. Diplomats from all over the world have gotten into trouble and have "skated" so it's not just the U.S.

Just sayin....
 
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bill barilko

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Unfortunately this isn't new. Diplomats from all over the world have gotten into trouble and have "skated" so it's not just the U.S.

Just sayin....
Not always though it depends on the offence & the gov't-in this case the Russians 'did the right thing'


Former Russian diplomat guilty of involuntary manslaughter​

A former Russian diplomat has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the drunk driving death of a woman in Ottawa.

Andrei Knyazev's verdict came down Tuesday morning in a courtroom in Moscow.

He was convicted in the death of Catherine MacLean, 50, when he drove his car onto the sidewalk of an Ottawa neighbourhood on January 27, 2001. Her friend Catherine Dor, 56, was badly injured in the crash.

After the verdict, Knyazev, 47, was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. He was sentenced to four years in a penal colony, even though he could have received the maximum penalty of five years. Judge Yelena Stashina said he did not receive the maximum sentence because it was his first conviction.

Knyazev's lawyer says he will appeal. "This decision was not a fully correct one," Andrei Pavlov said. "He did not get a fair trial."

Catherine Dor's husband, Philippe, travelled to Moscow for the trial on behalf of his wife. As he left the courtroom, he said he felt the process was fair and extensive, and that neither he nor his wife held any "ill will" against Knyazev.
Knyazev admitted 'responsibility'

Last week, the career diplomat made an emotional plea to the courtroom, acknowledging his responsibility for the crash. He also apologized to the families of the two victims.

Knyazev refused to take a breathalyzer at the scene of the crash, citing diplomatic immunity. Russia refused Canadian requests to waive that right, and Knyazev was expelled from Canada.

The Foreign Ministry fired him when he returned to Russia, and charged him with involuntary manslaughter. Russian and Canadian authorities co-operated in the year-long investigation.

Russian penal colonies are similar to Canadian medium-security institutions, although critics say diseases such as tuberculosis are prevalent, and pose a real health threat to even short-term prisoners.
 

spaminator

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U.S. diplomat's wife pleads guilty over UK car crash that killed teen
Harry Dunn died after his motorcycle was hit by a Volvo car driven on the wrong side of the road by Anne Sacoola

Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Oct 20, 2022 • 18 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation

LONDON — Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. diplomat, pleaded guilty on Thursday to causing the death of a teenager by driving carelessly in England three years ago, a case that led to diplomatic friction between Britain and the United States.


Harry Dunn, 19, died in August 2019 after his motorcycle was hit by a Volvo car driven on the wrong side of the road by Sacoolas near RAF Croughton, an air force base in the English county of Northamptonshire that is used by the U.S. military.


Sacoolas, whose husband worked as a U.S. intelligence officer at the base, left Britain shortly after the accident, claiming diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution and the United States refused to extradite her.

Appearing at London’s Old Bailey court by videolink from the United States, Sacoolas denied causing death by dangerous driving but admitted the less serious charge.


Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson said that after consideration at the “very highest level” and in close consultation with Dunn’s family, the decision had been taken not to proceed to trial.


The crash led to a diplomatic spat between London and Washington, with the British government backing the call for Sacoolas to be prosecuted.

In 2019, Dunn’s parents traveled to the White House for a meeting with then-President Donald Trump, who surprised them by revealing that Sacoolas was in an adjoining room. Dunn’s parents declined to meet her.

“It’s what we’ve been waiting for and fighting so damn hard for,” his tearful mother Charlotte Charles told reporters outside court, saying she had fulfilled her promise to her son.


Sacoolas will be sentenced in the week commencing Nov. 28, and the judge, Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, directed that she attend in person.

The charge she admitted carries a maximum jail term of five years but guidelines suggest either a community order or a shorter prison sentence.

She was told by judge that she had shown remorse by an early plea of guilt and by taking part in the court process which she could not be compelled to do.

“If sentence is one that does not involve immediate custody, there is no barrier to her returning home after the hearing,” the judge said.
 
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