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THE WOMAN AT the centre of a diplomatic row following the death in the UK of 19-year-old Harry Dunn has said she’s “devastated” by what happened.
Dunn died when his motorbike crashed into a car outside an RAF base in Northamptonshire on 27 August.
The driver of the car, 42-year-old Anne Sacoolas – who is married to a US official – was granted diplomatic immunity following the crash.
However, the UK government has now said that this does not apply.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has written to Dunn’s family about Sacoolas and, according to the BBC and Sky News, has said: “The US have now informed us that they too consider that immunity is no longer pertinent.”
“We have pressed strongly for a waiver of immunity, so that justice can be done … Whilst the US government has steadfastly declined to give that waiver, that is not the end of the matter,” BBC News quoted Raab’s letter saying.
We have looked at this very carefully … the UK government’s position is that immunity, and therefore any question of waiver, is no longer relevant in Mrs Sacoolas’ case, because she has returned home.
A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) told the PA news agency that the office “would not be commenting further on the content of the letter”.
Meanwhile, Sacoolas’s legal representative Amy Jeffress, from the law firm Arnold and Porter, said: “Anne is devastated by this tragic accident.
No loss compares to the death of a child and Anne extends her deepest sympathy to Harry Dunn’s family.
The family’s spokesman, Radd Seiger, said in a statement that he had spoken with Jeffress and the pair had agreed “to get together asap … to discuss how we are going to achieve a solution”.
Seiger added that he was studying the FCO letter “with legal and political experts” to “fully understand where that leaves us”.
He added:
That all said, clearly a positive step forward but we won’t rest until we get #Justice4Harry.
Read: Explainer: How does diplomatic immunity work? >
It comes as Dunn’s parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, said they would be flying to the US to “put pressure on the US administration to do the right thing”.
Earlier, Sacoolas’ lawyer said: “Anne would like to meet with Mr Dunn’s parents so that she can express her deepest sympathies and apologies for this tragic accident.
We have been in contact with the family’s attorneys and look forward to hearing from them.
The lawyer said her client spoke with “authorities” at the scene of the crash and met Northampton police at her home the following day.
“She will continue to cooperate with the investigation,” the lawyer said.
‘Ruthless’
On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the US was “absolutely ruthless” in its safeguarding of Sacoolas following the decision to grant her diplomatic immunity.
Boris Johnson said although President Donald Trump was sympathetic towards Mr Dunn’s family’s views on the use of diplomatic immunity, the US is “very reluctant” to allow citizens to be tried abroad.
Speaking of taking their campaign to the US, Mr Dunn’s family said in a statement that they “continue to live in a nightmare” and have so far been unable to grieve after his death.
Mr Dunn’s family are due to fly to the US on Sunday, ITV News reported.
A statement released on behalf of the family said:
“As if losing Harry was not enough, they now find themselves having to expend enormous time and energy, which they can ill afford, generating sufficient publicity to garner public support to persuade the US government to help achieve closure and return the driver Mrs Sacoolas to England to face the consequences of her actions.”
That’s 2 less people travelling by plane – surly that’s saving the environment? Otherwise it’s going to listen to rich people telling us how to live!!!
@Shane Cormican: It tells you all you need to know. Even FF have excommunicated the green-coloured weasel knowing he’s getting ran from politics in a few weeks. Glorious.
@Marvin Dollery: can’t wait to vote the green toad out
How many front door keys has Rodders got cut in the last couple of years? Top man offering accommodation to people who have no connection whatsoever to this country.
@Gerard Carey: but they will have when they get refugee status and than bring their husbands and 7 children. Providing accomodations play key role in this scheme so Roderick was right!
@Sergej Simonov: Are u for real
The Green Party can take responsibility for emissions being slow to fall in Ireland. They halved the EV grant and reduced retro-fitting grants for homes. All at time when these should have been increased. The majority of EVs are out of reach for most of the population anyway and depreciation is steep, when compared to a diesel/petrol equivalent.
But a poxy, vitue-signalling, green flash on a number plate will really make a difference to climate action
@Si Con: Yup. Their punitive ‘build nothing’ strategy has failed them. They need a new generation that aren’t afraid to provide the infrastructure we need by moving with the tide and not always trying to swim against it.
Hey Roderic, you can always go yourself and get a one way ticket while you’re at it and don’t forget to bring the rest of brigade and tell the world that we’ve overburdened the Taxpayers in Ireland with extra taxes and made sure they are left with very little money at the end of the working week and don’t forget to the world that you have the gates still open to facilitate illegal migration into Ireland.
@Tommy: he needs to go.
@Tommy: Amen to that!
Hopefully, this tool will be history in a few weeks. He loves the sound of his own voice.
Greens are never happy.
Rodders made millions for hoteliers by giving them and some politicians eye watering amounts of money to house the flotsam and jetsam of the world. Dump your boarding pass in the bin , line up for a free house , unga bunga
Apparently this guy responsible for all of this missing kids. Should be arrested.
@Basildon Joe: you’re suggesting that he is criminally responsible. How so, Joe?
@Kevin Kerr: he is responsible from a government perspective as minister for children. Don’t stir my words.
@Basildon Joe: I’m not stirring any words. You said he should be arrested – only those suspected of having committed a crime would be arrested
@Kevin Kerr: In other words, you’re saying that there’s nothing anyone can do and the weasel is untouchable.
@Marvin Dollery: no
@Kevin Kerr: He is criminally negligent!
@Brian Hunt: really? Ok so, well bring that evidence to the Gardai
@Kevin Kerr: LOL, you’ve been reduced to single word responses.
@Marvin Dollery: that’s all your comment deserved in response. Consider yourself muted
@Kevin Kerr: No, it’s all you could reply with because you were exposed.
@Kevin Kerr: WOW such a mature & effective debate….. You REALLY SCARED him,lol
@Basildon Joe: u relly are deluded
@Brian Hunt: grow up
@Sheila McNulty: Listen Nulters, your obvious bias towards these dangerous muppets is making you look both foolish and naive. You’ve a lot of growing up to do yourself, sweetie.
@Kevin Kerr: you can be complict in various ways , incompetence, dereliction of duty,turn a blind eye, failure to report crime etc etc.
@Brian Hunt: well have him arrested & see how far u get
Nobody should go to that out of touch UN elitist boondoggle get together by so called celebrities and their thousands of private jets.
It’s simple Roddy, he’s putting distance between your party and loopy green policies.
He doesn’t want to associate with treasonous lizards who are hellbent on destroying life for Irish Citizens.
@Marvin Dollery: he hasn’t seen the 1995 documentary Waterworld.
@Pól Pot: Hopper went full John Pilger. Mandatory viewing in schools, please.
For the Green crackpot party there is a lot more disappointment to come.
Why don’t yourself and Ray go and make a romantic weekend of it!
The cult climate summit is always a great side-show entertainment
This country has been accused of ethnic cleansing. In 2023 they used a blockade of the Lachin corridor and a land invasion to cause the evacuation of the Armenian population out of Nagorno-Karabakh.
But O’Gorman doesn’t mind…
@AnthonyK: Woderic doesn’t give a damn about the Irish, never mind Armenians!
Roll on the 29th get rid of that lot
They have no need for the Greens anymore. So they are of no relanve to either FF or FG now and Rodders is lost. And no one is really worried about climate change more the Company and Health and Homless and Immagration. Climate well down the line
Lovely spot is Azerbaijan.
Whining bit@h.
If his colleague Pippa Hackett had not eviscerated the forest estate, we’d be locking up carbon like crazy.
Due to Green ideology, we are now prohibited from planting 90% of available land.
The Greens have caused mayhem. He’d do well to belt up and reduce his CO2 emissions.
I’m grateful he’s not going to breed.
These Green people are spanners. Just look at all the roads in Dublin they have destroyed to put in cycle lanes that nobody uses. You get to sit in traffic for hours now to make a relatively short journey.
Hmmm
Rodders no one cares about your meeting
Stay there and don’t come back you clown.
So so
have your say