How was US diplomat's wife able to leave UK after fatal car crash?
Anne Sacoolas complied with UK police after Harry Dunn died but then travelled to the US after claiming diplomatic immunity.
Monday 7 October 2019 12:21, UK
A British teenager is killed and the prime suspect in his death is able to leave the country.
The authorities are silent and the press are not informed.
That alone is troubling enough. Think about it.
We only know this happened because of the determination of Harry Dunn's family and the persistent journalism of Sky News' Lisa Dowd who they turned to, desperate to establish the truth.
It is very hard to escape the conclusion that both British and American authorities wanted this story to go away quietly even if it was not exactly hushed up.
Even after Sky News broke the story, getting some answers has not been easy.
Official 'sources' over the weekend have presented varying and sometimes contradictory explanations for the fact Anne Sacoolas was able to be spirited away to America.
Under current rules, summarised on the Crown Prosecution Service website, dependants of diplomats based in missions outside of London cannot claim immunity.
We were told first that spouses were not necessarily dependants, which seemed unlikely.
Then, that a special agreement had been quietly agreed between the UK and US extending immunity to family members of diplomats based outside London.
This appears to have been a secret agreement in the sense that the public were not informed about it.
It was therefore not subject to press scrutiny.
And the secret nature of the agreement meant that people living around this base had no idea they were sharing roads with motorists who might be able to escape punishment should they drive dangerously.
Residents have told Sky News it is not uncommon for people to drive out of RAF Croughton on the wrong side of the road.
It is still unclear whether or not this special agreement extends to other bases outside of London.
Both British and American authorities have a responsibility, surely, to make that clear.
Diplomatic immunity is not automatically given. The decision lies with the diplomat's own government.
In 1997, a Georgian diplomat, drunk behind the wheel, killed a 16-year-old in Maryland, US, and left the country.
His government denied him immunity and he was sent back to the US to face justice.
Georgia and the US were not in any 'special relationship', although Georgia certainly needed America's goodwill.
The current relationship between the UK and the US is far more equal.
There is no sign though that the US will do for one grieving British family what Georgia did for the relatives of the dead American teenager back then.