Parents of teen killed outside US spy base seek legal claim against suspect

The parents of a teenager killed in a car crash involving the wife of a US diplomat will travel to Washington to launch legal action against her.

Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, whose son Harry Dunn was killed in an accident in Northamptonshire on 27 August, will make the trip in the coming days following a “disappointing” meeting with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The couple and family spokesman Radd Seiger held a meeting with Mr Raab at the Foreign Office in central London after reiterating their desire to see crash suspect Anne Sacoolas return from the US.

Mrs Sacoolas, 42, was granted diplomatic immunity there when she arrived from the UK, shortly after a fatal crash that happened on 27 August.

Police believe she pulled out on the wrong side of the road as she emerged from US spy base RAF Croughton, and collided with Harry Dunn, 19, as he rode his motorbike – causing fatal injuries.

Speaking after the 45 minute-long discussion with the foreign secretary, Mr Seiger said: “To say we are disappointed with the outcome of the meeting would be an understatement.”

He told Sky News the family felt the “strange” meeting was poorly handled, and that it had left them feeling “perplexed, angry and confused”.

Mr Raab is said to have relayed the steadfast US position on the issue, which is that the White House will not consider granting any waivers of diplomatic immunity.

He had previously urged Washington to reconsider its position and “do the right thing by Harry Dunn’s family”, after meeting the US ambassador on Tuesday.

Mr Seiger told Sky News the family was “disappointed” by the US stance, adding: “These parents are determined to seek justice for Harry and they can do anything they can to achieve those ends.”

He later told reporters that the family plans to recruit lawyers in the UK and the US with a view to possibly filing a civil claim against Mrs Sacoolas.

Ms Charles has also made a direct appeal to Mrs Sacoolas to return, telling reporters: “Do the humane thing, get on the plane and come back – from one parent to another.

“How would a human make a decision to get on a plane and run away from what she’s done and try and continue her life, what kind of example is she setting to her children? She’s being dishonest by running away from us.”

Mr Raab has since said Prime Minister Boris Johnson will raise the case with US President Donald Trump, and that a phone call between the two leaders could come as early as Wednesday evening.

That development has been met with scepticism by Mr Dunn, who said he was “deeply disappointed” by the way the situation had been handled by the Foreign Office so far.

He added: “I don’t think anything will come of it. I don’t think the government or the commonwealth office have any clout to do anything. I don’t think Boris will do any good, either.”

Despite efforts since then to have Mrs Sacoolas brought back, the Foreign Office has dismissed doubts as to whether she should have been eligible for diplomatic immunity.

Questions were raised by an international lawyer, who told Sky News that her husband Jonathan Sacoolas does not appear on a list of registered diplomats.

The Foreign Office later insisted that he was an accredited diplomat in the eyes of the British government, therefore his wife was entitled to diplomatic immunity.

(c) Sky News 2019: Parents of teen killed outside US spy base seek legal claim against suspect