Harry Dunn's mother says she did not want to separate Anne Sacoolas from her children

Harry Dunn's mother said she never wanted to separate her son's killer Anne Sacoolas from her own children.

Charlotte Charles said her family had accepted their son’s killer’s guilty plea to causing death by careless driving - rather than the more serious charge of death by dangerous driving - so their family could remain together.

Ms Charles said it was important that Sacoolas “did what you and I would have to do” when facing the UK justice system, saying they had to “rely” on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to carry out “whatever process they felt was suitable”.

Asked if she was happy the CPS had accepted the plea to the lesser offence of causing death by careless driving, Mrs Charles said: “Yes, absolutely.

“Before we knew she’d left the country, from day one, alongside fulfilling that promise to Harry, we wanted to make sure that she did do what you and I would have to do.

“Immediately, we said that we didn’t wish to separate her from her children. It’s not their fault. Some of them were in the car with her that night.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what nightmares they’ve had since then, because from the bits and pieces we do know, it was horrific," said Mrs Charles.

“So with it being a remote process, we were more than happy with that, for their sake. They’ve always been in the forefront of our mind.

“When you’re a mum and you know that you always want to be there to protect your children, her children are still important."

Now the Dunn family have seen Sacoolas plead guilty in a UK criminal court, Mrs Charles said she had fulfilled a promise she made to her son on the night he died that they would seek justice for him.

Becoming emotional when recalling the night he died, she said: “That night was and will always be the worst ever of our lives.

“Getting to court and getting to where we are now has been the most monumental thing for me because I can talk to him now and tell him we’ve done it. Promise complete.

“I feel I can breathe easier. I don’t have that guilt on my shoulders of not having done it yet."

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