Harry Dunn: Coroner criticizes US government for lack of driver training for Americans on base near where teen died | UK News

Harry Dunn was struck by a Volvo and died after a US government employee, Anne Sacoolas, drove on the wrong side of the road in 2019. The coroner who presided over the inquest into his death made three recommendations to the British government to prevent similar deaths in the future.

The coroner investigating the death of Harry Dunn has recommended better driver training for Americans at the RAF base near where the 19-year-old was killed.

Mr Dunn was hit by a Volvo driven by Anne Sacoolas in August 2019, after driving on the wrong side of the B4031 in Northamptonshire while riding a motorbike.

He died in hospital the same day.

The coroner concluded Mr Dunn died as a result of a road traffic accident and issued three Prevent Future Death Notices in a bid to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

Analysis: Harry's family still have questions about the accident – but the killer remained in the shadows

Two death warnings have been sent to the UK Department of Health due to the drugs paramedics carry and overloaded ambulance services.

A third notice has been issued to the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense regarding driver training at RAF Croughton.

Sacoolas, a US government employee, was based at the RAF station – also used by US forces – at the time of the accident.

Northamptonshire coroner Anne Pember criticized the US government for the lack of training given to Sacoolas before the accident.

Harry Dunn's family responds

Neither Sacoolas nor U.S. Embassy officials attended the investigation, prompting Dunn family spokesman Radd Seiger to state that the U.S. government's position was that “the lives of citizens “British people like Harry ultimately don't matter.”

Speaking after the inquest, he said: “It wasn't enough for them to kill Harry. It wasn't enough for them to kick Harry's family in their darkest hours and seek to deny and to delay the justice to which they were entitled.

“As we have all seen this week, their attitude and approach to ensuring the safety of their British hosts has been exposed and they have positively obstructed the coroner's inquest and deprived the family of the answers to which they were entitled as to why no one ever spoke to the family about the safety of British citizens.

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Mr Seiger also said Labour, if it came to power, had promised the family a public inquiry into how Sacoolas was able to leave the country with diplomatic immunity after causing Harry's death.

“We will not let [the US government] we can get through this and we look forward to working with the next government to establish this public inquiry,” he said.

“As a nation, we were all horrified at how the US government treated Harry's family. This must never happen again.

“The American national anthem ends 'Land of the free, home of the brave.' They have not shown an ounce of courage, choosing instead to run, hide and obstruct.”

Harry's mother, Charlotte Charles, said she was “totally disgusted” that Sacoolas and US embassy officials had not attended the inquest.

“I think they disrespected Harry even more and the future he could have had,” she said, adding that she feels they showed “no respect.” for his late son or his family.

“We had to fight for three and a half years to even get to the Old Bailey and have justice done,” she said. “And then having to wait another 18 months for our investigation is pretty much unheard of.

“We are tired, exhausted and unfortunately, we are still angry at the U.S. government for making us wait this long.”

The testimonies of Anne Sacoolas

Evidence and two witness statements from Sacoolas were read during the inquest after the US government employee rejected the coroner's invitation to attend in person.

In one of the Sacoolas statements apologized for 'tragic mistake' she said on the day of the accident and said it was something that would be with her “every day for the rest of my life.”

She said that when she left RAF Croughton, turning left, she instinctively moved to the right side of the road as she was “used to driving in the States”.

She also told Northamptonshire Police in a voluntary interview two months after the crash that she was a “careful driver” but “drove like an American and drove on the American side of the road”.

The 45-year-old said she had received no training on driving on British roads after arriving in the country and after the crash she “hysterically alerted a motorist” and “begged her to 'acquire help”.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Harry, and I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused,” Sacoolas said in the statement.

Reacting to these statements, Mr. Seiger said: “We have heard most of this before.

“Why on earth is Sacoolas not present in court to answer questions from the court and the family?”

Sacoolas left Britain 19 days after the accident, after the US State Department asserted diplomatic immunity on his behalf.

In December 2022, after a long battle for justice from the family, she appeared before a judge at the Old Bailey High Court via video link from the United States, when she pleaded guilty to causing death by reckless driving.

The State Department advised Sacoolas against attending his sentencing hearing, prompting the Dunn family to say they were “horrified” that the U.S. government was “actively interfering in our criminal justice system.” .

She was sentenced to eight months in prisonsuspended for one year.

The inquest also heard evidence from Mr Dunn twin brother Niall who described him as “an extraordinary person” who helped him when he found life difficult.

In a video played at the inquest, he said: “I couldn't have asked for a better brother, but beyond that, just a better person who you just have to force yourself to know.”