A SUSPECT GRANTED diplomatic immunity in the case of a teen killed in a road crash will not be returned to the UK, according to notes held by US President Donald Trump.
Harry Dunn (19) died when his motorbike crashed into a car outside an RAF base on 27 August.
After addressing reporters on the case at the White House, a photograph has since emerged which showed a note held by Trump that reads: “(If raised) Note, as Secretary Pompeo told Foreign Secretary Raab, that the spouse of the US government employee will not return to the United Kingdom.”
Since the photograph has surfaced, Mr Dunn’s mother Charlotte Charles has blasted the president, suggesting his approach to the case has been “beyond any realm of human thinking”.
#trumpnotes @realDonaldTrump (If Raised) Note, as @SecPompeo told Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab that the spouse of the U.S. Government employee will not return to the United Kingdom. @SkyNews pic.twitter.com/7yDUdOm3Pd
— Jabin Botsford (@jabinbotsford) October 9, 2019
The suspect, 42-year-old Anne Sacoolas, reportedly married to a US intelligence official, was granted diplomatic immunity following the crash.
The car which crashed into Mr Dunn was thought to have been driving on the wrong side of the road after leaving RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, a military base used by the US Air Force.
The teenager’s family met with the Foreign Secretary yesterday but said they left the meeting feeling “angry” and “disappointed”, with Ms Charles later saying it seemed like a “publicity stunt” and that they felt “patronised” by Dominic Raab.
Raab met Mr Dunn’s mother and father Tim Dunn yesterday afternoon after having talks with US Ambassador Woody Johnson on Tuesday.
In a press conference yesterday, Trump said wrong-way driving “happens” after being asked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reconsider granting immunity to Mrs Sacoolas.
His words were met with anger by Ms Charles, who said she was unhappy with the president’s “throw-away comments”.
Speaking to Sky News about the photograph of notes held by Trump which seemed to suggest Mrs Sacoolas would not be returning to the UK, Ms Charles said: “I’m just disgusted.
“I don’t see the point in Boris Johnson talking to President Trump, or President Trump even taking a call from Boris Johnson.
“If he’d already made his decision that if it were to be asked and if it were to be raised, the answer was already going to be no.
“It’s just beyond any realm of any human thinking.”
Trump confirmed that his administration would seek to speak to the driver, after Number 10 said the Prime Minister had urged him to “reconsider” in a phone call.
Northamptonshire Police have also asked the US to consider waiving the immunity.
Commenting on what she would say to Trump about the case, Mr Dunn’s mother told Sky News: “He must know exactly where she is.
“He must know where she, the kids, the husband are – whether they are being hidden or they’ve just run away – one way or another he must know exactly where they are.
“I would obviously urge him to still put her on the plane to come back, face our justice system here, face us, talk to us, everything we have been saying for the past five days.
“We will keep the pressure on – we still don’t understand, none of us as a family, everyone around the world that keeps contacting us.”
Addressing how she felt after the meeting with Raab yesterday, Ms Charles said: “We found it quite patronising, if I’m totally honest.
“Myself and my husband were split up – Harry’s dad Tim and his wife Tracey, we were all told where to sit.
“Our family spokesperson…was shut down by Dominic Raab when he tried to talk on our behalf when he could see that we struggling with our emotions.
“We asked him to try and communicate with Anne Sacoolas directly, he said that he had had a message back from her… and that she was in some way shape or form upset.
“I can’t remember the words but they certainly weren’t strong enough to show any real remorse.”
Ms Charles continued: “You would hope, being a UK citizen, that they would be the ones to help us as much as possible.
“With Donald Trump saying yesterday that every driver has driven on the wrong side of the road at some point – perhaps they have.
“But not every driver has travelled the distance that Anne Sacoolas did and taken the life of a 19-year-old who was completely and utterly innocent.
“So to us, although it’s a personal issue for us, it is more of a unique case than just having accidentally driven on the wrong side of the road so I’m not very happy about those throw-away comments.”
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