Harry Dunn: Government admits hiding information from teenager's family

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The government asked Northamptonshire Police to delay informing Harry Dunn’s family that the woman involved in the road accident that killed their teenage son had left the UK, the foreign secretary has admitted.

Dominic Raab confessed that it had asked the force to withhold the information "for a day or two”.

It came after the family voiced their concern about “misconduct and a cover-up on both sides of the Atlantic” by the British and American governments.

Shortly after the crash outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August, Anne Sacoolas left the UK for America.

The 42-year-old wife of a US diplomat, was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road, when she hit the 19-year-old who was riding his motorcycle.

Emily Thornberry, Labour shadow foreign secretary, said it appeared the UK government had “something to hide”.

She said: “It now looks increasingly clear that the Foreign Secretary and his officials have something to hide in terms of how they responded to this dreadful tragedy, why they allowed Anne Sacoolas to leave the country, and why they delayed informing Harry Dunn’s family of her departure. And we also have to ask what matters more to Dominic Raab: the grief of a bereaved British family or the approval or a corrupt American president?"

She added: “We need an urgent parliamentary inquiry to uncover who did what in this case, who took the decisions, when they were taken, and why. The rights, justice and answers that are due to Harry Dunn’s grieving family can no longer be denied.”

Mr Dunn’s mother, Charlotte Charles, and father, Tim Dunn, travelled to the US this week in an attempt to put pressure on authorities to return Ms Sacoolas to the UK.

The visit included talks at the White House with President Donald Trump, during which the family were told that Ms Sacoolas was in a nearby room and prepared to meet them.

They declined, saying they would rather secure justice.

Their lawyer, Radd Seiger, later said they had been "ambushed" by White House staff, who tried to pressure them into a meeting.

“It is clear that the Americans are desperate to protect Ms Sacoolas and are intent on ruthlessly and aggressively not letting her return," he said. “We are trying to find out why that is. We will not let up in our search for justice for Harry.

“We now expect Northamptonshire Police to take over from the work we have done and the progress we have made, charge her and begin extradition proceedings to bring her back.”

The family said they are due to meet police bosses next week.

Mr Seiger said: “The family is now concerned that there has been misconduct and a cover-up on both sides of the Atlantic, and they are intent on exposing it with the help of their lawyers. Harry’s family are being incredibly brave in their darkest hour and are taking it upon themselves to do whatever it takes to ensure that this never happens to anyone ever again.

“In all my years of practice, I have never seen a family so badly let down after a tragedy and abandoned completely by the system. Let’s see if we can find out why, hold those responsible to account, learn the lessons, and help to ensure that this never happens again.”

The family have repeatedly stressed their hope to secure Ms Sacoolas a suspended sentence, rather than immediate custody, so as not to take her away from her family.

But they said their hopes of a meeting between the two parties should happen “in a room, on our terms”, back in the UK.

Additional reporting by Press Association