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Harry Dunn death: White House asks for meeting with parents Trump tells Harry Dunn’s parents that envoy’s wife will not be sent to UK
(about 5 hours later)
The White House has asked for a meeting with the parents of Harry Dunn, the 19-year-old motorcyclist killed in a collision with a car suspected to have been driven by the wife of a US intelligence officer. The wife of a US intelligence officer who left the UK after being involved in a traffic collision in which a teenager died will not be returned to the country, his parents have been told during a visit to the White House.
The spokesman for the family, Radd Seiger, tweeted the White House had asked Dunn’s parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, to come to a meeting and that they were on their way to Washington DC. Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, whose 19-year-old son Harry died in August, met Donald Trump on Tuesday. They said he was was sympathetic but ruled out Anne Sacoolas being sent back to the UK.
The couple said they refused an invitation to meet Sacoolas, who was in the building. “We weren’t ready to meet her; it would have been too rushed. It’s not what we wanted; we wanted a meeting with her in the UK,” said Tim Dunn.
Asked if she felt the meeting with the US president was part of an attempt to sweep her son’s death under the carpet, Charlotte Charles said: “Initially, yes, I did think they were trying to do that; certainly by having Mrs Sacoolas there. I think maybe they were thinking that would be enough for us. We’re seven weeks on and it’s just not enough.”
I think there has been a little bit of progress. But we didn’t get the answers that we wanted. They couldn’t tell us who made the decision to bring her back to the US. We asked how long she was there for and they still said three weeks.”
The White House asked for the meeting as the couple undertook a round of interviews on morning TV shows in New York.
The White House have just invited #HarryDunn’s parents and I to a meeting this afternoon. Looking forward to getting further answers as we search for #JusticeforHarry. @Justice4HarryThe White House have just invited #HarryDunn’s parents and I to a meeting this afternoon. Looking forward to getting further answers as we search for #JusticeforHarry. @Justice4Harry
They had been in New York doing a round of interviews on morning TV shows calling on the woman involved, Anne Sacoolas, to return to the UK.
Sacoolas has admitted in a statement that she was driving on the wrong side of the road when her car hit Dunn on his motorcycle after she came out of an RAF base in Northamptonshire on 27 August. She has said it was an accident, and that she is sorry.Sacoolas has admitted in a statement that she was driving on the wrong side of the road when her car hit Dunn on his motorcycle after she came out of an RAF base in Northamptonshire on 27 August. She has said it was an accident, and that she is sorry.
She initially cooperated with police before being flown out of the country. The US said at the time she would not be returned to the UK as she was covered by diplomatic immunity.She initially cooperated with police before being flown out of the country. The US said at the time she would not be returned to the UK as she was covered by diplomatic immunity.
It was not immediately clear whether the Dunn family were going to meet the US president, Donald Trump, a known fan of morning TV shows, or whether the meeting would be with officials. Speaking before their meeting in the White House, the parents said: “We are grateful for the invitation, which we hope represents a positive development in our fight for justice. Our priority, as any parent will understand, is justice for our child. We believe this can only be achieved if Anne Sacoolas returns to England and engages properly with the justice system, where she will be treated fairly in a proper investigation of what happened to our son on that day – an investigation that cannot happen without her cooperation.“Friends tell each other the truth. If Britain and America are friends then we believe there should be no possibility of a citizen of one country hiding from justice in another while falsely claiming a privilege such as diplomatic immunity.”
Speaking ahead of their meeting in the White House, the parents said: “We are grateful for the invitation, which we hope represents a positive development in our fight for justice. Our priority, as any parent will understand, is justice for our child. We believe this can only be achieved if Anne Sacoolas returns to England and engages properly with the justice system, where she will be treated fairly in a proper investigation of what happened to our son on that day – an investigation that cannot happen without her cooperation.“Friends tell each other the truth. If Britain and America are friends then we believe there should be no possibility of a citizen of one country hiding from justice in another while falsely claiming a privilege such as diplomatic immunity.” Earlier, their lawyers demanded to see all the exchanges between the US embassy, the UK Foreign Office and the British police that led to Sacoolas claiming diplomatic immunity and leaving the country.
Earlier, lawyers acting for the parents demanded to see all the exchanges between the US embassy, the UK Foreign Office and the British police that led to Sacoolas claiming diplomatic immunity and leaving the country. The lawyers said they would mount a judicial review if the Foreign Office did not cooperate. The department wrote to the Dunn family at the weekend to say that the US and the UK agreed that Sacoolas’s diplomatic immunity no longer applied once she returned to the US.
The lawyers say they will mount a judicial review if the Foreign Office does not cooperate. The department wrote to the Dunn family at the weekend to say that the US and the UK agreed that Sacoolas’s diplomatic immunity no longer applied once she returned to the US.
How does diplomatic immunity work?How does diplomatic immunity work?
The family are being advised by two leading lawyers specialising in diplomatic immunity, Mark Stephens and Geoffrey Robinson.The family are being advised by two leading lawyers specialising in diplomatic immunity, Mark Stephens and Geoffrey Robinson.
Seiger said: “What Mark [Stephens] and I are going to do, is we are going to write to the FCO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] very shortly, explaining that we don’t want to do a judicial review, but to avoid that, please let us have the following documents – all emails, messages and notes in relation to your advice to Northamptonshire police that this lady had it [diplomatic immunity]. Their spokesman, Radd Seiger, said: “What Mark [Stephens] and I are going to do, is we are going to write to the FCO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] very shortly, explaining that we don’t want to do a judicial review, but to avoid that, please let us have the following documents – all emails, messages and notes in relation to your advice to Northamptonshire police that this lady had it [diplomatic immunity].
“What we don’t know is whether somebody cocked up or whether they were put under pressure by the Americans to concede.”“What we don’t know is whether somebody cocked up or whether they were put under pressure by the Americans to concede.”
It remains unclear why the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, did not tell the Dunn family when he met them last week that he believed Sacoolas lost her immunity once she returned to the US. In what has been described as a cold meeting, the Dunn family were left with the impression that the Foreign Office could do no more.It remains unclear why the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, did not tell the Dunn family when he met them last week that he believed Sacoolas lost her immunity once she returned to the US. In what has been described as a cold meeting, the Dunn family were left with the impression that the Foreign Office could do no more.
Raab has said he needed to be sure of the legal position before he confided in the family.Raab has said he needed to be sure of the legal position before he confided in the family.
Stephens contends that Sacoolas’s husband, Jonathan Sacoolas, may not have had diplomatic immunity, but the Foreign Office says all staff at RAF Croughton, where he worked, were covered by immunity.Stephens contends that Sacoolas’s husband, Jonathan Sacoolas, may not have had diplomatic immunity, but the Foreign Office says all staff at RAF Croughton, where he worked, were covered by immunity.
Harry Dunn's parents give tearful account of finding dying son to US TVHarry Dunn's parents give tearful account of finding dying son to US TV
Sacoolas has said she wants to meet the family to apologise and take responsibility, but has not said she will return to the UK. Her lawyers said: “Anne stayed on the scene of the ­accident to assist. She spoke to Harry to tell him that she would call for help. She waved down another car. That driver offered to assist Harry so that Anne could comfort her young children in her car.” Sacoolas had said she wanted to meet the family to apologise and take responsibility. Her lawyers said: “Anne stayed on the scene of the ­accident to assist. She spoke to Harry to tell him that she would call for help. She waved down another car. That driver offered to assist Harry so that Anne could comfort her young children in her car.”
Sacoolas claimed she left the scene only when an ­ambulance arrived.Sacoolas claimed she left the scene only when an ­ambulance arrived.
Charles said at a press conference in New York that the family had been told there was CCTV evidence showing Sacoolas leaving the RAF base “on the wrong side of the road”.Charles said at a press conference in New York that the family had been told there was CCTV evidence showing Sacoolas leaving the RAF base “on the wrong side of the road”.
She added: “CCTV follows her all the way down the road on the wrong side of the road and you see Harry’s headlight of his motorbike and then there is a big fireball when his bike went up.”She added: “CCTV follows her all the way down the road on the wrong side of the road and you see Harry’s headlight of his motorbike and then there is a big fireball when his bike went up.”
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