HARRY Dunn’s “disappointed” mother today blasted her son’s killer after she refused to attend an inquest into his death in a final blow.
Anne Sacoolas collided with the 19-year-old’s motorbike as she drove on the wrong side of the road after leaving RAF Croughton in 2019.
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The government official was granted diplomatic immunity after the accident and flew back to the United States.
Sacoolas, who admitted to causing death by dangerous means drivingshould attend an inquest so that Harry’s family would have the chance to question her about his death.
But Northampton Crown Court was told she “did not wish” to give live evidence and instead provided a written statement.
Mum Charlotte Charles said: “I wanted to say that learning that Anne Sacoolas will not be attending Harry’s inquest this week has been bitterly disappointing and, as a mother, is completely incomprehensible to me.
“She could have chosen to give me and our family this opportunity to finally understand what led to Harry’s death that night.
“But, no. I am indescribably hurt that she chose to hide. I can’t help but feel disrespect for Harry, the life he had, and the future he lost.”
It’s another blow for Charlotte and Harry’s father Tim Dunn after they were forced to wait three years for justice when Sacoolas fled the UK.
The battle included a trip to the White House to appeal to then-President Donald Trump and endless meetings with politicians.
In 2022, the mother received an eight-month suspended sentence after finally admitting her role in the accident.
In a moving statement today, Charlotte fought back tears as she paid tribute to her “vibrant, caring, funny and terribly protective” son.
The mother added: “It has been almost five years since Harry died and from the moment he passed away I have been determined to understand
what led to his death, what actions were or were not taken to address the risk of damage to roads outside US bases in the UK by US and UK authorities.
“And to ensure that all the lessons that need to be learned are learned, so that no other family has to go through the pain and devastation that we went through.”
She also told how Harry winter bicycle jacket still hangs in the family home, while his toothbrush and hair the wax is “right where he left it” in the bathroom.
Charlotte added: “Harry was a very principled young man. In that sense, we want to ensure that part of his legacy is that both our American visitors and those who live in and around U.S. bases are safer. were in vain.
“As a family, we have obviously been through a lot since Harry died. However, we learned that Harry wasn’t the first to die under these circumstances, and sadly, he wasn’t the last.
“We are deeply concerned that the issue of road safety outside US bases may have been neglected by both governments and would like the coroner to investigate why this is so.
“I feel like Harry should still be alive today.”
While dad Tim revealed his last words to his dying son were “I love you” as he comforted him on the side of the road.
He said he could hear Harry “groaning in pain” as he was in agony following the accident.
Fight for justice
2019:
August 27:
Motorcyclist Harry Dunn collides with a Volvo outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
Harry is taken to the John Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, but is pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
August 28:
Northamptonshire Police interview suspect Anne Sacoolas, aged 42, who is later granted diplomatic immunity.
September 15th:
Sacoolas leaves the country on a United States Air Force plane, but the Dunn family is not informed of his departure until three weeks later.
Northamptonshire Police were also not informed that she had left the UK.
October 4th:
Harry’s parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, are calling on US President Donald Trump to intervene and waive immunity for Sacoolas.
October 5th:
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urges US Ambassador Woody Johnson to waive immunity for Sacoolas.
October 6:
Police write to the US Embassy in London to demand that Sacoolas’ immunity be waived.
October 7th:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the US should “reconsider its position” on the immunity granted to Sacoolas.
October 9:
Charles and Dunn attend a meeting with the Foreign Secretary which leaves them “angry and frustrated” and feeling like it is a “publicity stunt”.
Johnson speaks personally to Trump to ask him to reconsider the US position on the immunity granted to Sacoolas.
October 12th:
Sacoolas breaks her silence and issues a statement through her lawyer, saying that the accident left her “devastated”.
October 13:
The Foreign Office writes to Mr Dunn’s family saying Sacoolas does not have diplomatic immunity.
It becomes clear that her husband was an intelligence officer and not a registered diplomat with a recognized role and therefore neither he nor his wife are entitled to diplomatic immunity.
October 14:
Dunn’s family holds a press conference in New York after taking their fight for justice to the US.
October 15th:
Mr Dunn’s family announces their intention to launch a judicial review of the advice given by the Foreign Office to Northamptonshire Police regarding the diplomatic immunity granted to Sacoolas.
The White House calls an “urgent” meeting with Dunn’s family and they speak with President Trump.
Charles and Dunn refuse to meet with Sacoolas, who was in the next room when they met with Trump.
October 20th:
The Dunn family has been informed that Northamptonshire Police has forwarded a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a charging decision.
October 25:
Radd Seiger, the spokesperson for Harry’s family, confirms that they would take legal action against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and refer Northamptonshire Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over their roles in the investigation.
October 31st:
Northamptonshire Police confirm they had interviewed the suspect in the case in the US and were passing the evidence file to the CPS.
Superintendent Sarah Johnson said: “We can confirm that we have completed an interview of the suspect in connection with the death of Harry Dunn, details of which will be provided to the CPS for consideration alongside the remainder of the evidentiary file already submitted.”
November 10th:
In a letter to Mr Dunn’s family, the FCO said the legal claim against them and Mr Raab was “unfounded”.
He also said he would “oppose and seek costs” for any judicial review.
November 12th:
Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry criticizes Mr Raab for “threatening financial hardship” for the Dunn family.
December 17th
Dunn’s family met with Raab again, and the Foreign Secretary then urged Ms Sacoolas to “return to the UK and co-operate with the criminal justice process”.
December 20
The CPS accuses Sacoolas of causing death by dangerous driving.
2022:
September 29th
Sacoolas appears in a UK court for the first time via videolink and is granted unconditional bail
October 20th
She pleads guilty to the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving
December 8
Sacoolas receives a suspended sentence of eight months in prison and a 12-month driving ban
June 10, 2024:
Government official failed to attend inquest into Harry’s death
Tim added: “After a while one of the doctors came to me and explained that Harry was struggling to breathe and she felt that sedating him to control his breathing would help.
“I spoke to Harry again, saying ‘they’re going to sedate you, son, to help with your breathing and I’ll see you at the hospital.
“’Do what the doctors say and I love you.’
“Little did I know that those would be my last words to him and the last time I would see him alive.
“To this day, that part haunts me. I wish I could have done more, said more and just hugged him.”
The inquiry will hear excerpts from Sacoolas’ police interrogation in October 2019 and his witness statement written in December last year.
It will also assess what road safety training was provided to Sacoolas by the RAF and the US and examine the emergency services response.
Coroner Anne Pember said: “This is not a trial, no individual is on trial. There is no question of apportioning blame. That is not the role of the coroner.”
The investigation continues.
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