The U.K.’s High Court ruled Tuesday that the wife of a U.S. diplomat cannot be prosecuted for last year’s car crash that killed a British teen.
Two High Court judges found Anne Sacoolas, 43, “enjoyed [diplomatic] immunity from U.K. criminal jurisdiction” when she collided with Harry Dunn’s motorbike, killing the 19-year-old. The Guardian reported that Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road while leaving a U.S. airbase in Croughton, Northamptonshire, when the deadly wreck occurred.
Sacoolas eventually left England for the U.S., claiming she had diplomatic immunity. In January, the U.S. rejected a U.K. extradition warrant which ordered her to return to the country to face charges for causing death by dangerous driving.
Sacoolas’ husband worked as a technical assistant at Northamptonshire airbase. The two judges determined that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations granted Sacoolas diplomatic immunity while in England. They also found Sacoolas had not “expressly waived” her immunity at any point before the fatal crash.
The judges also dismissed the Dunn family lawyer’s claim that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) erroneously told Northamptonshire police that Sacoolas had immunity. The family also alleged the FCDO did not inform police of ongoing negotiations concerning Sacoolas’ immunity after the August 2019 wreck.
Dunn’s family reportedly plans to appeal Tuesday’s ruling.
Dunn’s father told the BBC, “It all seems so cruel and needless and I am just as angry today as I ever have been but so determined to see it all through until we have justice.”
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode.
[Featured image: Anne Sacoolas/Facebook; Harry Dunn/Facebook]
