Harry Dunn's family to launch legal action against Foreign Office
His parents condemn police deciding to send officers to the US to interview the suspect, who claimed immunity and left the UK.
Thursday 24 October 2019 21:51, UK
Harry Dunn's family has told Sky News they will take legal action against the Foreign Office over its decision to let the suspect leave the country under diplomatic immunity.
The teenager's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, have instructed a top-level legal team to seek a judicial review into the way his case was dealt with.
Veteran human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, who has defended boxer Mike Tyson and former Brazilian president Lula da Silva, will be on the team that will argue there was no legal basis for Anne Sacoolas to be granted diplomatic immunity.
Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn have also condemned Northamptonshire Police's decision to send officers to the United States to interview Mrs Sacoolas.
She is accused of crashing into Harry, 19, on his motorbike outside a US spy base as she drove on the wrong side of the road on 27 August. She then left the UK after being granted diplomatic immunity because of her husband's job.
The Foreign Office claims she was entitled as her husband was registered as an American diplomat. He is thought to have been an intelligence officer working at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
The family are referring the case for review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Northamptonshire Police said it is "happy to support the IOPC with any concerns raised by the family of Harry Dunn".
Mr Dunn told Sky News: "Other people shouldn't have to go through this.
"We need to carry this through now and yes, it's going to be long and hard we appreciate that, but the support we're having is helping us do this and the support of the country has been amazing."
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We have done everything we can properly to clear a path so that justice can be done for Harry's family.
"As the foreign secretary set out in parliament, the individual involved had diplomatic immunity whilst in the country under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We will respond to any legal action in due course."
British police confirmed on Tuesday they will interview Mrs Sacoolas under caution in the US after she requested to be interviewed by Northamptonshire Police in her home country.
Being interviewed under caution means Mrs Sacoolas will have the right not to answer questions if she does not want to - but anything she does say can be used in a legal case.
The family's lawyers say police should cancel those plans and demand that she return to the UK to answer questions here.
Family friend and adviser Radd Seiger told Sky News the tragedy will now become a test in the way these cases are handled by authorities in future.
He said: "It started off by simply asking Mrs Sacoolas to come back. It's far more important now and what happens as a result of this case will touch every single one of us.
"You're talking about British sovereignty here and the conduct of Americans who think that they can just do whatever they like and then run away if there's a problem.
"And Harry's family will not stand for it. They will not let their son die in vain."
Mrs Sacoolas, 43, has offered an apology over the fatal crash outside RAF Croughton, but has been told by Harry's mother that "sorry doesn't cut it".
On Monday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab revealed the US had warned Britain they would remove Mrs Sacoolas from the UK, and police could do nothing to stop her from leaving.
He said the government position was that Mrs Sacoolas' immunity ended when she left the UK.
The Foreign Office said it had advised police not to tell the Dunn family Mrs Sacoolas was going to leave the country until a day or two after she left.
Police did not tell them for at least a week.
Last week, Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn travelled to the US in an attempt to pressure authorities to return Mrs Sacoolas.
The visit included talks at the White House with President Donald Trump, during which the family was told that Mrs Sacoolas was in a nearby room and prepared to meet them.
They refused, insisting such an encounter take place in Britain.