Harry Dunn: What happened in the case of teenage motorcyclist?
Almost six years since the death of motorcyclist Harry Dunn outside a US military base in the UK, an investigative review has criticised the way Northamptonshire Police handled the case.The driver of the car involved in the collision, US diplomat Anne Sacoolas, was handed an eight-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to criminal charges.How did a road collision end up with the victim's family losing confidence in the police and the Northamptonshire force being criticised in an official report?
Who was Harry Dunn?
Mr Dunn's mother, Charlotte Charles, said the 19-year-old was "larger than life" with a "great" sense of humour.On 27 August 2019, he died in a crash near RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, after Sacoolas's car struck his motorbike moments after she left the base.The car was driving on the right-hand side of the road when it should have been on the left.Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US administration. They then both left the UK.
Who is Anne Sacoolas?
Sacoolas was described in the 2025 investigative review of the case as "a married mother of three" who had "held a US drivers' licence and had done so since the age of 15".At the time of the collision in 2019, her husband Jonathan was a US intelligence officer and the couple and their three children had been in the UK for a few weeks.The family's four-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son had been in the car with their mother when the collision happened. They had been attending a barbecue at RAF Croughton.During a court hearing in Virginia in 2021, a barrister said that Ms Sacoolas herself had been "employed by an intelligence agency in the US" at the time of the crash and her work was "especially a factor" in her leaving the UK.Diplomatic immunity gives some people, such as foreign diplomats and, in some cases, their families, protection from arrest and prosecution in their host countries.There had, however, been a secret agreement between the UK and US governments that allowed for the prosecution of diplomats for crimes committed outside their duties but gave their families greater protection.
Why did the crash cause a diplomatic row?
Following the fatal crash, Mr Dunn's parents Mrs Charles and Tim Dunn, aided by spokesperson Radd Seiger, began a campaign to have the case brought to court.It led them to the White House and a meeting in October 2019 with Donald Trump, then in his first term as US president.During the meeting, he revealed Sacoolas was in the next room, but the family felt "ambushed" and did not meet her.In December 2019, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised Northamptonshire Police to charge Sacoolas with causing Mr Dunn's death.But an extradition request for her to be brought to the UK was rejected by the US government.Both the then-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, when she was Foreign Secretary, raised the case with the US government.
How did Anne Sacoolas end up in court?
In the absence of extradition, the family launched a civil claim for damages against Sacoolas and her husband in the US.In December 2021, the CPS said Sacoolas would appear at court in the UK to face unspecified charges.But a month later it said the court date had been postponed to allow "ongoing" discussions with the US national's legal team.Then a change in the law meant Sacoolas was able to appear in court via video-link and she pleaded guilty on screen at the Old Bailey to causing death by careless driving on 20 October 2022.
The 45-year-old was originally charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but the CPS accepted her plea to the lesser charge.She was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment suspended for 12 months, once again appearing via video-link after the US government advised Sacoolas not to attend her sentencing hearing.Sacoolas was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
What did Harry Dunn's family say after the hearing?
Mrs Charles said: "Getting to court and getting to where we are now has been the most monumental thing for me because I can talk to him now and tell him we've done it. Promise complete."Mr Dunn Snr said: "I go up to the crash site quite a lot - I went there a couple of days ago to strim and put some daffodils in ready for the spring."Hopefully we've given hope to other families that they can do the same as us and get justice and believe and fight because it will happen in the end, it will happen."
What has happened since the sentencing?
A second funeral for Mr Dunn was held in March 2024 after human tissue was found on clothing returned to the family.An inquest in June 2024 concluded Mr Dunn died as a result of a road traffic collision, and the coroner called for driver training to be given to US personnel working in the UK. Northamptonshire Police launched an investigation into how the case was handled from the beginning.
What did the investigation find?
The review, written by a former senior police officer, made 38 separate recommendations.It found that, while officers believed Sacoolas was in a state of shock at the time, she "could and should have been arrested" after the crash.It also revealed that Mr Dunn was subjected to drug testing after the collision, but Sacoolas was not.The review said none of the officers at the scene managed to gather footage from their body-worn cameras.
It was also very critical of the chief constable at the time, Nick Adderley, who was sacked for gross misconduct in 2024 for lying about his career in the Royal Navy.It said he made "erroneous statements" about Sacoolas's immunity status, and should not have criticised the family's spokesperson, Radd Seiger, at a press conference. The force has apologised for failing to "do the very best for the victim".Mrs Charles said: "I'm absolutely bewildered that the most fundamental of policing was not carried out. I'm struggling to get my head around that."Mr Seiger said Mr Adderley "nearly derailed" attempts to get justice for Mr Dunn but that Northamptonshire Police, under a new chief constable, was now "headed in the right direction".
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