A US diplomat’s wife who killed a teenage biker told police she is a “pretty safe driver”, an inquest heard.
Anne Sacoolas drove for a third of a mile on the wrong side of the road after leaving air base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August 2019.
PAHarry Dunn died following the crash in Northamptonshire in August 2019[/caption]
EnterpriseAnne Sacoolas drove for a third of a mile on the wrong side of the road[/caption]
She careered head-on into motorcyclist Harry Dunn, 19, on a 40mph rural road, causing fatal injuries.
Sacoolas was spirited out of Britain 19 days later and claimed diplomatic immunity.
An inquest into the tragic incident is taking place this week at Northampton Coroners’ Court.
Sacoolas has refused to attend – either in person or virtually from her Washington DC home.
But in a transcript read out from a police interview with Sacoolas two months after the tragedy, the mum-of-two told officers: “I’m a pretty safe driver.”
She said: “I remember seeing Harry, being confused and the accident happening, all at the same time, really.
“It happened so fast. I saw fire, there was smoke, or at least what I thought was smoke.
“The first thing I did was jump out of the car and tell my son to get out because he’s old enough to get out by himself.
“I told him to get out and I ran around and got my daughter out of her car seat and got them on the side of the road.
She continued: “I ran back to Harry, he was begging for help. I told him I was afraid I would cause him more harm than good if I moved him. But I was going to get him help.
“He made a comment that he was driving on his side of the road.”
“Let me back up. It was when I got my kids to the side of the road that I realised what happened.
“Up until that point I was kind of confused and it wasn’t until that point I hadn’t realised I’d driven on the American side of the road versus UK side.
“He had said he was on his side of the road and I hysterically said, ‘you are absolutely right, I’m so sorry. I’m going to get you help.’”
Sacoolas, who was handed an eight month suspended sentence after admitting death by careless driving in 2022, was working in an “analytical role” for the US government.
She told how her family had been at a barbecue at RAF Croughton, which is used as a secretive listening post by the American government.
In the police interview, Sacoolas admitted that she did not like driving on British country roads and “playing chicken” with other drivers on the narrow lanes.
PACharlotte Charles, mother of Harry Dunn, pictured in August 2020[/caption]
Sacoolas said she had only driven on the road on which Harry was killed a couple of times since arriving in the UK on July 24, 2019.
She admitted having no training on how to drive in the UK and said she had no time to react to Harry riding towards her.
Sacoolas insisted: “I wasn’t texting, I wasn’t on the phone – I wasn’t anything, I was just driving, going home.
“I was thinking about all the things I needed to do when I got home, like every mum does.”
The inquest also heard another statement made by Sacoolas this year, apologising for her “tragic mistake”.
She said: “I knew that the proper side of the road was the left side, not on the right side as I was accustomed to driving in the United States.
New signs to alert American drivers
WARNING signs alerting American drivers if they drive on the wrong side of the road are set to be rolled out in the wake of Harry’s death.
New technology capable of spotting vehicles travelling the wrong way and alerting drivers is being pursued by West Northants Council.
Harry’s inquest was told that road safety measures were put in place in the wake of his killing by Sacoolas.
Of the new vehicle-activated signs, council executive Stuart Timmiss confirmed: “We are talking to the developers and we are working towards that technology being implemented in the near future.”
Permanent road markings and signs telling US drivers to keep left were installed in October 2019, two months after Harry’s death.
The inquest also heard how military police at RAF Croughton had sought to obtain road safety training for US air force personnel in 2022 but none was ever provided.
“My action was based on instinct and not recalling in that moment that I should have been driving on the other side.
“I deeply regret having caused this accident. I made a tragic mistake that I will live with for the rest of my life.
“There’s not a single day that goes by Harry is not on my mind, and I am deeply sorry for the pain that I have caused.”
Sacoolas had been requested to attend virtually from her US home by coroner Anne Pember.
Mum Charlotte Charles accused her son’s killer of “choosing to hide” by not appearing.
She stormed: “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.
PAHarry Dunn with his mother Charlotte Charles[/caption]
“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.”
Sacoolas, who was handed an eight month suspended sentence after admitting death by careless driving in 2022, hit Harry head-on in her Volvo on August 27, 2019.
PC Al Knapper overheard her cry “I’m so stupid”, sobbing with her head in her hands, the inquest heard.
Harry, who was wearing a helmet, suffered devastating fractures to all four limbs, his pelvis and ribs after being flung from his bike.
A passing doctor desperately tried to help save his life but upon arriving at Oxford’s John Radcliffe hospital, the teen was pronounced dead having suffered catastrophic blood loss.
The inquest heard that, when asked what she believed caused the collision, Sacoolas told police: “I drove like an American and drove on the American side of the road.”
PACourt artist drawing of US citizen Anne Sacoolas from September 2022[/caption]
Northampton Coroner’s Court heard Sacoolas was “not wishing” to attend the inquest remotely.
But her lawyer Ben Cooper said: “Mrs Sacoolas remains keen to answer any questions that may arise during her statements and will do everything she can to help with this process.”
Sacoolas was advised against attending her sentencing hearing in 2022 by her employer, which prompted the family to say they were “horrified” that the US Government was “actively interfering in our criminal justice system”.
The Dunn family took their four-year campaign for justice to the US after the teenager’s death, which even led to a meeting with then-president Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington DC.
The inquest will assess what training on road safety was provided to Sacoolas by the RAF or by the US.
It will also look at the response of the emergency services and if delays contributed to his death.
Timeline of the Harry Dunn case
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.