The family of Harry Dunn have said the government is about to start an enquiry into how the Foreign Office treated them after the 19-year-old was killed.
Harry, who was riding a motorbike, died after a head-on collision in 2019 with a car driven by Anne Sacoolas, who was exiting the American intelligence base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
Sacoolas left the UK 19 days after the incident, as the US government had asserted diplomatic immunity on her behalf, claiming she was the wife of a diplomat. She was later revealed to be a US spy.
The Dunn family began a long fight for justice, which eventually saw the former spy receive a suspended sentence after she pleaded guilty to causing Harry’s death by dangerous driving.
She was sentenced in an “unprecedented” case at the Old Bailey – but did not attend the hearing in person after American officials stepped in. Instead, she was sentenced via a video link from her lawyer’s office in Washington.
Speaking to Sky News, a lawyer who has advised the family since Harry’s death has now said an enquiry promised by David Lammy when Labour got into power will begin “within three weeks”.
Radd Seiger told The News Hour with Mark Austin that the enquiry will be chaired by Dame Anne Owers, who is “going to do a rapid piece of work”.
“We just want to leave a legacy for Harry, so what his family went through never happens again,” he said.
Harry’s mother, Charlotte Charles, added: “The failings need to be out there for all to see.
“Certainly for us to learn about and for everyone else to learn about, so we can make sure in future, families like us do not get treated the way that we were treated.”
It is understood that the investigation, which is expected to last three months, will not include scrutiny of the role or actions of the US government.
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The enquiry is separate from a recent report on how Northamptonshire Police proceeded in the case.
The force last week apologised and admitted failures in their handling of the investigation, after the report found officers prioritised the suspect’s welfare.
Read more:
Harry Dunn killer apologies
Criticism over lack of driver training at US base
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Assistant Chief Constable Emma James apologised “for what is now clear was a failure on our part to do the very best for the victim in this case, Harry, and his family who fought tirelessly in the years that followed to achieve justice for him”.
She added in a statement: “The picture which emerges is one of a force which has failed the family on a number of fronts”.
The Dunn family have filed a complaint against the force’s former police chief over the report.
