The US Government has maintained its position on the diplomatic immunity granted to Harry Dunn’s alleged killer.
The teenager’s parents Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn wrote to them urging them to change their minds.
Downing Street backed Harry Dunn’s parents in their plea to US President Donald Trump to review the decision to block an extradition request for their son’s alleged killer.
The letter, addressed to Mr Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, comes after it was reported that lawyers acting on behalf of 42-year-old Anne Sacoolas had opened up a dialogue with the Foreign Office earlier this year to work towards a ‘resolution’.
A spokeswoman for the State Department reiterated its position that at the time of the accident, and for the duration of her time in the UK, Anne Sacoolas had immunity from criminal jurisdiction.
The US Government has maintained its position on the diplomatic immunity granted to Harry Dunn’s alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas (pictured back in the US)
She said the Foreign Secretary had made that clear in Parliament on October 21, 2019.
She added that since the accident occurred, the US had been closely engaged with the UK government and have been transparent about their positions on legal and diplomatic matters.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn urged Mr Trump and Mr Pompeo to reconsider the decision to refuse the Home Office’s request to extradite Mrs Sacoolas, saying that the UK justice system has ‘fairness at its heart’.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn have written to President Donald Trump to ask him to review the decision to block an extradition request for their son’s alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas
Asked if the UK backed the Dunns’ efforts to lobby the US president, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: ‘Yes, we are very clear that we want Harry’s family to get the justice they deserve.’
The move was revealed after it was reported that lawyers acting on behalf of 42-year-old Anne Sacoolas had opened up a dialogue with the Foreign Office earlier this year to work towards a ‘resolution’.
Mr Dunn’s parents urged Mr Trump and US secretary of state Mike Pompeo to reconsider the decision to refuse the Home Office’s request to extradite Mrs Sacoolas, saying that facing the UK justice system would have ‘fairness at its heart’.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn met the president at the White House six months ago, where he had hoped they would meet the suspect, who was waiting in a room next door, but they declined to see her.
They took their campaign for justice to the US in October, two months after Mr Dunn was killed when his motorbike collided with a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire.
Mrs Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity following the crash and was able to return to her home country, sparking an international controversy.
Asked if the UK Government back the call from the parents of Harry Dunn (pictured), Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said they support them getting ‘the justice they deserve’
She was charged with causing the death by dangerous driving of the 19-year-old in December but an extradition request was rejected by Mr Pompeo in January.
The Foreign Office has since come under fire after documents revealed a senior diplomat sent a text message to their US Embassy counterpart saying there was ‘not much mileage’ in Mrs Sacoolas and her family staying in the UK, adding: ‘I think you should feel able to put them on the next flight out.’
Urging Mr Trump to reconsider the decision to refuse the extradition request, the teenager’s parents said: ‘It is now six months since we met with you, Mr President, in the Oval Office. We hope you are as well as can be in the current difficult circumstances.
‘When we parted last October, you kindly mentioned that you would take a different look at the case and we have not heard from you since.
‘Of course, since then, the UK have sought Mrs Sacoolas’ extradition which has been rejected by Secretary Pompeo.
‘We note from the British press that Mrs Sacoolas’ lawyer has reached out to the Foreign Office here in London and that she is attempting to seek a resolution to the problem. We understand that Mrs Sacoolas must be suffering too.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn met the president at the White House six months ago, where he had hoped they would meet the suspect, who was waiting in a room next door, but they declined to see her
‘The purpose of this letter is to ask you please to review your decision to not allow her to return to face the justice system, which as you know has fairness at its heart.
‘As we are sure you can appreciate, it is really the only way forward in the interests of both families and of relations between our two nations which have suffered as a result of the decision.
‘If you allow her to return, we are sure only good can come from it. Otherwise, the problem will never go away. No one is above the law.’
The State Department spokeswoman said the US Government again expresses its sincere condolences and sympathy to the Dunn family for the loss of their son.