HARRY Dunn’s “disappointed” mum today slammed her son’s killer after she refused to attend an inquest into his death in a final blow.
Anne Sacoolas collided with the 19-year-old’s motorbike as she drove on the wrong side of the road after leaving RAF Croughton in 2019.
PAHarry Dunn was killed in a horror road crash in Northamptonshire in August 2019[/caption]
Anne Sacoolas hit Harry and then fled to the USA claiming diplomatic immunity
PAMum Charlotte Charles today slammed Sacoolas[/caption]
The government employee was granted diplomatic immunity after the crash and flew back to the States.
Sacoolas, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, had been due to attend an inquest so Harry’s family would have the chance to quiz her over his death.
But Northampton Coroner’s Court was told she is “not wishing” to give live evidence and has instead provided a written statement.
Mum Charlotte Charles 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, the mum was handed a suspended eight-month sentence after finally admitting her role in the crash.
In a heartbreaking statement today, Charlotte fought back tears as she paid tribute to her “vibrant, caring, funny and so terribly protective” son.
The mum added: “It is almost five years since Harry died and from the moment he passed, I have been determined to understand
what led to his death, what actions if any were and were not taken to address the risk of road harm outside US bases in the UK by both the US and UK authorities.
“And to hopefully ensure that all lessons that need to be learned are learned so that no other family has to go through the heartache and sheer devastation that we have gone through.”
She also told how Harry’s winter bike jacket still hangs in the family home, while his toothbrush and hair wax are “just where he left them” in the bathroom.
Charlotte added: “Harry was a highly principled young man. In that vein, we want to ensure that part of his legacy is that both our American visitors and those who live in and around US bases are safer. We do not want his passing to have been in vain.
“As a family, we have obviously been through a lot since Harry died. However, we have learned that Harry was not the first to die in these circumstances, and sadly he has not been the last.
“We are deeply concerned that the issue of road safety outside US bases may have been neglected by both governments and I would like the Coroner to inquire into why that was.
“I feel that Harry should still be alive today.”
While dad Tim revealed his final words to his dying son were “I love you” as he comforted him by the roadside.
He said he could hear Harry “moaning with pain” as he lay in agony following the crash.
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
Tim added: “After a while one of the doctors came to me and explained Harry was struggling to breathe and she felt sedating him to control his breathing would help.
“I spoke to Harry again, saying ‘they are going to sedate you, son, to help with your breathing and I will see you at the hospital.
“‘Do what the doctors say, and I love you’.
“Little did I know these would be my last words to him and the last time I would see him alive.
“To this day, this part haunts me. I wish I did more, said more, and just held him.”
The inquest will hear sections of Sacoolas’s police interview in October 2019 and her witness statement penned in December last year.
It will also will assess what training on road safety was provided to Sacoolas by the RAF and the US and examine the response of the emergency services.
Coroner Anne Pember said: “This is not a trial, no individual is on trial. There’s no question of attributing blame. This is not the coroner’s role.”
The inquest continues.
Harry was on his motorbike at the time of the horror
Harry’s family pictured at a previous court hearing