Harry Dunn's family 're-traumatised' after Northamptonshire Police return clothes with body tissue
Family spokesman Radd Seiger told ITV News Anglia the family had been "devastated" by the revelation
The family of Harry Dunn - the motorcyclist who was killed in a crash with a US spy - are to hold a second funeral for him after police returned his belongings, some of which included bodily tissue.
They say they have been "re-traumatised" by the discovery, having previously thought that his clothes had been destroyed.
Charlotte Charles, the mother of the 19-year-old killed outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, said: “After Harry died, we asked if we could have his motorbike, clothes and possessions back.
“It is a way for us to keep connected to our son and we wanted to make a sculpture out of the remains of the bike and to make teddy bears and cushions out of any clothing material that was left for Harry’s young cousins.
“The police officers told us that everything had been destroyed in the crash as there was a huge explosion. We put it out of our minds therefore.”
The family were then told before Christmas that several items survived, including clothing, the helmet, and the frame of the bike. The items had been frozen and preserved, pending the conclusion of criminal proceedings in December 2022.
She said: “I am devastated that we have been deprived of his belongings for all this time totally unnecessarily.
“It has really hit me hard and I’ve had to go back on antidepressants. As if that weren’t bad enough, as the items of clothing were being returned, some of Harry’s tissue was also discovered on his clothing and we only found that out a couple of weeks ago.
“We are now therefore having to go through a second cremation service on Friday and we all are all re-traumatised. It just all feels so unfair.”
A Northamptonshire Police spokesperson said: "Recently, police examined the items in order to repatriate them with the family, at which time human remains were subsequently discovered on Harry’s clothing.
“Working with HM Coroner’s office in Northamptonshire, an officer returned the human remains to a funeral director on 7 February at the request of Harry’s family."
Det Ch Supt Emma James added she would be meeting the family in the coming days to “ensure complete transparency”.
The family's spokesman Radd Seiger said there has been a "massive breakdown in protocol and communication" by Northamptonshire Police.
He said: “This poor family have been let down very badly yet again. Why were they told everything was destroyed when it wasn’t?
“Why were they not told that was not the case until 15 months after the criminal case was concluded.
“Communication is key for vulnerable victims of crime such as this family and it failed here. Serious lessons must be learned and I am pleased that there is now going to be an independent investigation into how Northants police handled the case from start to finish.”
Former US spy Anne Sacoolas was driving a Volvo on the wrong side of the road outside RAF Croughton on 27 August 2019 when she crashed into the teenager's motorbike.
The US said Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity and allowed to leave the UK 19 days after the crash.
In December 2022, she pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving as she appeared before a High Court judge at the Old Bailey via video-link.
She was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
The Dunn family had taken their four-year campaign for justice to the US, which led to a meeting with then-president Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington DC.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...