Harry Dunn’s alleged killer Anne Sacoolas appears before UK court for first time

A US citizen accused of causing the death of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn has appeared before a UK court for the first time.

Anne Sacoolas, 45, appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink from the United States on Thursday as the 19-year-old’s extended family watched from the public gallery.

The hearing brought to an end Mr Dunn's family's three-year wait for criminal proceedings to begin.

Sacoolas is accused of causing the 19-year-old motorcyclist’s death by dangerous driving following a collision outside a US military base in Northamptonshire in August 2019.

At the six-minute hearing, the defendant spoke only to confirm her name and date of birth as she followed proceedings next to her lawyer, Amy Jeffress.

She was granted unconditional bail by magistrates and will appear next at the the Old Bailey on 27 October, and told that she must attend in person.

The defendant had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US government following the collision outside RAF Croughton, and was able to leave the UK 19 days after the incident.

A decision was reached to charge Sacoolas with causing Mr Dunn’s death by dangerous driving in December 2019.

The hearing was attended by Mr Dunn's parents Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, alongside Harry’s twin brother Niall, who arrived wearing either a green tie or a green scarf in memory of the teenager.

The family said they would not be making any comment until the conclusion of criminal proceedings.

The Crown Prosecution Service initially announced a hearing had been scheduled for January 18, but the date was vacated to “enable ongoing discussions”.

On Monday, the CPS confirmed to the PA news agency that the case was scheduled to be heard on Thursday.

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