Doubts have been raised over whether the US woman accused of killing the British teenager Harry Dunn in a car crash will participate in criminal proceedings in the UK.
Prosecutors said that Anne Sacoolas will appear by video link in a London court next month in relation to the charge of causing death by dangerous driving, more than two years after she left Britain after the accident claiming diplomatic immunity.
However, after the Crown Prosecution Service said Sacoolas would appear at Westminster magistrates’ court on January 18, her lawyers indicated that there was no final agreement yet on her appearance for the hearing. “While we have always been willing to discuss a virtual hearing, there is no agreement at this time,” a spokesperson for Arnold & Porter said.
After a lengthy diplomatic dispute between London and Washington over Sacoolas returning to face investigation Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said last night that she welcomed “the news that Anne Sacoolas will face a UK court”. She added: “We continue to support the family to get justice for Harry Dunn.”
Sacoolas is accused of killing Dunn, 19, who died after his motorcycle collided with the American’s car, which was allegedly being driven on the wrong side of the road near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August 2019. The base is used by the US military and Sacoolas was given diplomatic immunity after the incident. She and her husband left Britain shortly afterwards.
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The Crown Prosecution Service charged Sacoolas two years ago with causing death by dangerous driving. US officials rejected an extradition request submitted from the Home Office in January last year and they have described their refusal to extradite her as “final” on a number of occasions.
Those close to the case said that the latest development represented a partial “volte face” to the previous US position.
Radd Seiger, a retired lawyer who advises the Dunn family, told The Times yesterday that agreement to bring Sacoolas before an English court was the result of “pressure that has been maintained on the US government”. He added that the case was an illustration of “how to stand up to the might of the US government” and added that it was his view that officials in Washington “were terribly concerned about reputation and they knew that this was never going to go away”.
Depending on what plea Sacoolas enters, the case could be referred for a full trial at the crown court. It remains unclear how a sentence would be dealt with if she pleaded or was found guilty.
Charlotte Charles, Dunn’s mother, said: “My family and I are feeling very emotional and overwhelmed, having just learnt the news that Mrs Sacoolas is now to face our justice system. It is all that we asked for.”
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In June she and Tim Dunn, Harry’s father, flew to the US to give a witness statement in their civil law proceedings against Sacoolas, who has been confirmed as a US intelligence officer. The family’s claim is being brought against Sacoolas and her husband, Jonathan, 45, who worked as a CIA operative at the US Air Force listening station at RAF Croughton.
David Lammy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, said: “It is right there is now a trial in this tragic case and we hope that it can move forward.”
The Crown Prosecution Service said: “While the challenges and complexity of this case are well known, we remain committed to securing justice in this matter.” It added that Sacoolas “has a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice any proceedings”.