Harry Dunn: Lawyer for teenager's alleged killer talks to foreign office
The lawyer for Harry Dunn's parents said there is now hope that she will come back and face justice in the UK.
Monday 27 April 2020 17:13, UK
The lawyer for Anne Sacoolas, the alleged killer of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn, has had a conversation with the foreign office to try to work towards a "resolution".
Amy Jeffress, who acts on behalf of 42-year-old Mrs Sacoolas, spoke with a senior official at the FCO earlier this year, Sky News understands.
Mr Dunn was killed when his motorbike was involved in a collision with a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire in August last year.
It is understood Mrs Sacoolas is keen to return to the UK to find a solution to her part in the 19-year-old's death.
It is thought the FCO told Ms Jeffress, who is a national security lawyer, that any issues to do with the legalities of the case, including an attempt to the get the charges against her client dropped, would be a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
An FCO spokesperson said: "We have done and will continue to do everything we properly can to ensure that justice is done. We believe Anne Sacoolas should return to the UK and face justice."
Mrs Sacoolas, who is the wife of a US intelligence official, claimed diplomatic immunity after the crash and travelled back to the US.
In January, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined an extradition request from the British government - something which Prime Minister Boris Johnson called a "denial of justice".
Reacting to the news, Charlotte Charles, Harry's mother, said: "It is almost impossible to describe how much we are suffering. It is now eight months since Harry died. His 20th birthday came and went last month.
"As we have said from the start, we will get justice for our son.
"We made a promise to him and no-one is above the law. It is so important that Anne Sacoolas comes back to face our legal system."
She continued: "She should never have been allowed to leave and it has compounded our misery terribly.
"But now we have some hope and we are pleased to see at least that there is some dialogue towards her coming back.
"But it's important that we are all clear. The case is with the CPS.
"The only resolution that is acceptable is her going before the courts here in England."
Radd Seiger, the lawyer acting as an adviser to Harry's parents, told Sky News: "It's astonishing - and the family are now clearly very hopeful of the only resolution of her coming back and facing the music is not too far away.
"We have to be careful and not get ahead of ourselves - any dialogue is good, but we need to reiterate that this is a matter entirely for the CPS and no one is above the law.
"She must come back and face trial but we will happily consider sitting down with her and attempt to build a bridge at the end of the legal process."
Ms Jeffress declined to comment further on her conversation with the Foreign Office.
Last week, a police investigation was opened after claims another US diplomat had driven on the wrong side of the road outside the Northamptonshire airbase.