HARRY Dunn begged “don’t let me die” after being mowed down by a US diplomat’s wife in a fatal head-on smash, an inquest heard today.
Anne Sacoolas collided with the 19-year-old’s motorbike as she drove on the wrong side of the road for 350m after leaving RAF Croughton.
PAHarry Dunn was killed in a head-on crash in 2019[/caption]
Anne Sacoolas hit Harry then fled to the USA claiming diplomatic immunity
The government employee was granted diplomatic immunity after the 2019 crash and flew back to the States.
An inquest heard today how Harry begged “don’t let me die, don’t let me die” to passer-by Jennifer Hewitt following the horror.
She told the hearing how she attempted to reassure the stricken teen, who suffered a cardiac arrest and later died in hospital.
Ms Hewitt added: “He was still very distressed and kept repeating ‘don’t let me die, don’t let me die.
“I said ‘don’t be silly, you’re going to be okay – the ambulance is coming’.
“When I was saying he was going to be okay, I genuinely thought he would be because he was taking to me and was able to tell me his age.
“I continued to reassure the motorcyclist that the ambulance was coming and he was going to be okay.”
Sacoolas, who had two children in her Volvo at the time, appeared “very distressed” and “disorientated”.
Ms Hewitt told the court at no point did she go up to Harry as he lay on the road.
The witness added: “She kept saying ‘I’ve had a head-on collision with a motorbike’.
“‘It’s all my fault. I was on the wrong side of the road’.”
The inquest was told Sacoolas, who admitted causing Harry’s death by dangerous driving, was leaving a dinner on the RAF base when the crash took place.
She drove for up to 26 seconds on the wrong side of the road – a distance of 350m – before hitting the teen head-on.
The mum later told police “I’m so stupid” and was seen with her head in her hands crying.
Harry suffered devastating fractures to all four limbs, his pelvis and his ribs after being flung from his motorcycle – leading to catastrophic blood loss.
His mum Charlotte Charles yesterday slammed Sacoolas for failing to attend the inquest.
Northampton Coroner’s Court was told she is “not wishing” to give live evidence and has instead provided a written statement – meaning she will not face questions from the family.
Fight for justice
2019:
August 27:
Motorcyclist Harry Dunn collides with a Volvo outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
Harry is taken to the John Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, but is pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
August 28:
Northamptonshire Police interview 42-year-old suspect Anne Sacoolas, who is later granted diplomatic immunity.
September 15:
Sacoolas leaves the country on a United States Air Force plane, but the Dunn family are not informed of her departure until three weeks later.
Northamptonshire Police are also not told that she has left the UK.
October 4:
Harry’s parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, call on US President Donald Trump to intervene and waive immunity for Sacoolas.
October 5:
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urges US Ambassador Woody Johnson to waive immunity for Sacoolas.
October 6:
Police write to the US Embassy in London to demand immunity is waived for Sacoolas.
October 7:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the US should “reconsider its position” on the immunity given to Sacoolas.
October 9:
Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn attend a meeting with the Foreign Secretary which leaves them “angry and frustrated” and feeling as though it was a “publicity stunt”.
Mr Johnson speaks to Mr Trump personally to ask him to reconsider the US’s position on the immunity granted to Sacoolas.
October 12:
Sacoolas breaks her silence and issues a statement through her lawyer, saying the crash left her “devastated”.
October 13:
The Foreign Office writes to Mr Dunn’s family saying Sacoolas does not have diplomatic immunity.
It becomes clear that her husband was an intelligence officer and not a registered diplomat in a recognised role, and therefore neither he nor his wife are entitled to diplomatic immunity.
October 14:
Mr Dunn’s family hold a press conference in New York after taking their fight for justice to the US.
October 15:
Mr Dunn’s family announce their intention to launch a judicial review into the advice given by the Foreign Office to Northamptonshire Police over the diplomatic immunity given to Sacoolas.
The White House calls an “urgent” meeting with Mr Dunn’s family and they have talks with President Trump.
Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn refuse to meet Sacoolas, who was in the room next door as they met Mr Trump.
October 20:
The Dunn family are told Northamptonshire Police have passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a charging decision.
October 25:
Radd Seiger, the spokesman for Harry’s family, confirms they would be taking legal action against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and referring Northamptonshire Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over their roles in the investigation.
October 31:
Northamptonshire Police confirm that they had interviewed the suspect in the case in the US and were passing the file of evidence over to the CPS.
Superintendent Sarah Johnson said: “We can confirm that we have completed an interview of the suspect in connection with the death of Harry Dunn, the details of which will be provided to the CPS for consideration alongside the rest of the evidential file already submitted.”
November 10:
In a letter to Mr Dunn’s family, the FCO says the legal claim against them and Mr Raab was “without foundation”.
It also said it would “oppose and seek costs” for any judicial review.
November 12:
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry criticises Mr Raab for “threatening financial hardship” on the Dunn family.
December 17
Mr Dunn’s family meet with Mr Raab again, and the Foreign Secretary then urged Ms Sacoolas to “come back to the UK and co-operate with the criminal justice process”.
December 20
The CPS charges Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving.
2022:
September 29
Sacoolas appears in a UK court via videolink for the first time and is granted unconditional bail
October 20
She pleads guilty to the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving
December 8
Sacoolas is handed a suspended eight-month jail sentence and a 12-month driving ban
June 10, 2024:
The government employee fails to attend an inquest into Harry’s death
Mum Charlotte said: “I wanted to say that learning that Anne Sacoolas will not be attending Harry’s inquest this week was bitterly disappointing and, as a mother, is utterly incomprehensible to me.
“She could have chosen to give me and our family this opportunity to finally understand what led to Harry’s death that night.
“But, no. I am unspeakably hurt that she has chosen to hide instead. It cannot help but feel disrespectful to Harry, the life he had and the future he lost.”
It is yet another blow for Charlotte and Harry’s dad Tim Dunn after they were forced to wait three years for justice when Sacoolas fled the UK.
Their battle included a trip to the White House to appeal to then-President Donald Trump and endless meetings with politicians.
In 2022, Sacoolas was handed a suspended eight-month sentence after finally admitting her role in the crash.
PAHarry’s mum slammed Sacoolas for not attending the inquest[/caption]