Harry Dunn inquest: Coroner criticises US government over driver training for diplomats

Better driver training for US government officials living in the UK could have prevented the head-on collision which killed motorcyclist Harry Dunn, a coroner has concluded.

The 19-year-old died after he was knocked off his motorcycle by a US government employee driving on the wrong side of the road outside a US Air Force base in Northamptonshire.

Anne Sacoolas, who was driving outside RAF Croughton, later admitted causing death by careless driving and was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

Northamptonshire coroner Anne Pember delivered her conclusions on Thursday, at the end of a four-day inquest, and said she would be writing a Prevention of Future Deaths report to demand responses from authorities involved.

These will include the health secretary, over delays in the ambulance response time; and the US government, over the lack of driving training for diplomatic personnel working at RAF Croughton.

Ms Pember concluded that Mr Dunn died "as a result of severe injuries he sustained from a head on collision car on wrong side of the road".

Mr Dunn's family were in court to hear the conclusion, though Sacoolas was not, having declined invitations to appear to give evidence in person or by video-link - a decision Mr Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said left relatives "unspeakably hurt".

Earlier, Sacoolas had admitted in a statement that she had driven "like an American" as she left the base, driving for around 350 metres on the wrong side of the road before hitting Mr Dunn's motorcycle.

She said she had made a "tragic mistake", telling the court in a statement: "I deeply regret having caused this accident.

“I made a tragic mistake that I will live with every single day for the rest of my life.

“There is not a single day that goes by that Harry is not on my mind and I am deeply sorry for the pain that I have caused.”

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