US suspect granted immunity in Harry Dunn road death case ‘will not return to UK’

Undated family handout of Charlotte Charles with her son Harry Dunn who died after his motorbike collided with a car near RAF Croughton in N

A suspect granted diplomatic immunity in the case of a teen killed in a road crash will not be returned to the UK, according to notes held by President Donald Trump.

Harry Dunn, 19, died when his motorbike crashed into a car outside an RAF base on August 27.

After addressing reporters on the case at the White House, a photograph has since emerged which showed a note held by Mr Trump that reads: “(If raised) Note, as Secretary Pompeo told Foreign Secretary Raab, that the spouse of the US government employee will not return to the United Kingdom.”

Since the photograph has surfaced, Mr Dunn’s mother Charlotte Charles has blasted the president, suggesting his approach to the case has been “beyond any realm of human thinking”.

The suspect, 42-year-old Anne Sacoolas, reportedly married to a US intelligence official, was granted diplomatic immunity following the crash.

When asked about the case by reporters outside The White House Trump said: "They're in the process of being spoken to, we're working on that I did have a conversation with Boris Johnson yesterday, a good one and we're talking about diplomatic immunity, it's a very interesting situation.

"We are trying to work something out, so we're going to work something out, I think we'll be able to."

The car which crashed into Mr Dunn was thought to have been driving on the wrong side of the road after leaving RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, a military base used by the US Air Force.

The teenager’s family met the Foreign Secretary on Wednesday but said they left the meeting feeling “angry” and “disappointed”, with Ms Charles later saying it seemed like a “publicity stunt” and that they felt “patronised” by Dominic Raab.

The family of Harry Dunn, mother Charlotte Charles (left) and father Tim Dunn (right) with their partners, arrive at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, where they met Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab Credit: PA

Mr Raab met Mr Dunn’s mother and father Tim Dunn on Wednesday afternoon after having talks with US Ambassador Woody Johnson on Tuesday.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Trump said wrong-way driving “happens” after being asked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reconsider granting immunity to Mrs Sacoolas.

His words were met with anger by Ms Charles, who said she was unhappy with the president’s “throw-away comments”.

Speaking to Sky News about the photograph of notes held by Mr Trump which seemed to suggest Mrs Sacoolas would not be returning to the UK, Ms Charles said: “I’m just disgusted.

“I don’t see the point in Boris Johnson talking to President Trump, or President Trump even taking a call from Boris Johnson.

“If he’d already made his decision that if it were to be asked and if it were to be raised, the answer was already going to be no.

“It’s just beyond any realm of any human thinking.”

Lawyer and spokesman for the Dunn family, Radd Seiger said the contradictions from the US government have totally changed the mood of the family.

Nonetheless, he will continue to press the US.

"We're lawyered up here, we're going to lawyer up there [in the US] we'll press those buttons too, we'l do whatever it takes to get justice for our Harry, whatever it takes," he said.

"I'm afraid part of my job is to say this is going to be a very difficult fight, we're up against the might of the US government.

"But I have the parents of Harry Dunn on my side and they are equally as powerful, so we'll see where we get to."

Donald Trump has said wrong-way driving “happens’ after being asked by Boris Johnson to reconsider granting immunity to an American woman suspected of being involved in the death of Mr Dunn Credit: Northamptonshire Police/PA

Mr Trump confirmed that his administration would seek to speak to the driver, after Number 10 said the Prime Minister had urged him to “reconsider” in a phone call.

Northamptonshire Police have also asked the US to consider waiving the immunity.

Commenting on what she would say to Mr Trump about the case, Mr Dunn’s mother told Sky News: “He must know exactly where she is.

“He must know where she, the kids, the husband are – whether they are being hidden or they’ve just run away – one way or another he must know exactly where they are.

“I would obviously urge him to still put her on the plane to come back, face our justice system here, face us, talk to us, everything we have been saying for the past five days.

“We will keep the pressure on – we still don’t understand, none of us as a family, everyone around the world that keeps contacting us.

Family spokesman Radd Seiger flanked by Harry’s mother Charlotte Charles and father Tim Dunn. Credit: PA

Addressing how she felt after the meeting with Mr Raab on Wednesday, Ms Charles said: “We found it quite patronising, if I’m totally honest.

“Myself and my husband were split up – Harry’s dad Tim and his wife Tracey, we were all told where to sit.

“Our family spokesperson… was shut down by Dominic Raab when he tried to talk on our behalf when he could see that we struggling with our emotions.

“We asked him to try and communicate with Anne Sacoolas directly, he said that he had had a message back from her… and that she was in some way shape or form upset.

“I can’t remember the words but they certainly weren’t strong enough to show any real remorse.”

Ms Charles continued: “You would hope, being a UK citizen, that they would be the ones to help us as much as possible.

“With Donald Trump saying yesterday that every driver has driven on the wrong side of the road at some point – perhaps they have.

“But not every driver has travelled the distance that Anne Sacoolas did and taken the life of a 19-year-old who was completely and utterly innocent.

“So to us, although it’s a personal issue for us, it is more of a unique case than just having accidentally driven on the wrong side of the road so I’m not very happy about those throw-away comments.”