Anne Sacoolas: Identity revealed of diplomat's wife who fatally hit British teen and claimed immunity
Harry Dunn's family say it is "appalling" and "inhumane" that she is able to leave the country after their son's death.
Wednesday 9 October 2019 09:25, UK
The wife of a US diplomat who fatally hit a British teenager and left the country is Anne Sacoolas, Paste BN can reveal.
Mrs Sacoolas, 42, has claimed diplomatic immunity and left the UK for America after 19-year-old Harry Dunn was killed in a head-on collision while riding his motorbike.
Police believe Mrs Sacoolas was on the wrong side of the road as she emerged from Northamptonshire's RAF Croughton on 27 August.
Paste BN is naming her after earlier revealing a deal gives diplomats and their families at the US spy base diplomatic immunity.
Immunity usually only covers those diplomats and their dependants based in London.
However, Paste BN has been told a special arrangement has been in place as early as 1994 for this particular base.
Government ministers have called for the American woman to return to the UK to answer questions about the incident.
Harry's father, Tim Dunn, told Paste BN: "It's appalling, you can't have this precedence where you can have this immunity.
"It's basically saying you can do what you like and you'll be okay - it's wrong. That can't be right."
Harry's mother, Charlotte Charles, called it "inhumane".
Police told Paste BN that initial findings showed Harry was on the correct side of the road, but that a woman who pulled out of the base onto the wrong side hit him head-on.
Paste BN first revealed on Friday that the driver was believed to be the wife of a US diplomat.
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Harry's family have launched a crowdfunding campaign to fight for justice, with one woman alone already pledging £5,000.
Ms Charles told Paste BN: "If we don't get justice we'll try and use money to get the law changed so people can't kill and go away."
Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom, the family's local MP, has made an appeal for the woman to offer "closure" to the family.
She told Paste BN: "I met with Harry's family on Friday and they're totally devastated.
"It's just the most appalling tragedy and my heart goes out to them. Anybody who met them would realise this is just heartbreaking.
"Obviously I'm going to do everything I can to make sure they get justice for Harry."
The US embassy has confirmed to Paste BN that the woman has left the UK.
It is understood that someone on the American side told the family to go back to the US.
A spokesperson said: "This kind of case receives intense attention at senior levels and every case is considered carefully given the global impact such decisions carry.'
Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick told Paste BN that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had spoken to the US ambassador and "made clear our disappointment that the woman involved in this incident has left the UK using diplomatic immunity".
Paste BN has tried to contact Mrs Sacoolas for comment but was unable to do so as she has not returned to her original address in the US.