Harry Dunn crash death: US diplomat's wife Anne Sacoolas breaks silence as she 'admits driving on wrong side of the road'

Bonnie Christian15 October 2019

The US diplomat’s wife suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed Harry Dunn has admitted to driving on the wrong side of the road at the time.

In a statement from her lawyers, seen by the Daily Mail, Anne Sacoolas has said she had “no time to react” after the teenager came towards her on his motorbike over a hill.

The 42-year-old said she was “terribly, terribly sorry for that tragic mistake”.

Charlotte Charles, the mother of British teen Harry Dunn who was killed in a car crash on his motorcycle
REUTERS

Ms Sacoolas left the UK just days after the collision near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire that left the 19-year-old dead on August 27.

In her first account of what happened, she said she spoke to Mr Dunn at the scene before waiting to comfort her own children who were in her car.

A spokesman from her law firm Arnold & Porter said: “Anne was driving on the wrong side of the road and had no time to react when she saw the motorbike – the crash happened too fast.

“Anne stayed on the scene of the accident to assist. She spoke to Harry Dunn to tell him that she would call for help. She waved down another car.

Tributes: flowers left at the scene of the crash
Getty Images

“That driver pulled over and offered to assist Harry so that Anne could comfort her young children, who had been in her car and were on the scene.'

The spokesman added that Ministry of Defence police arrived shortly after the crash but it took a “long time” for the ambulance to arrive.

Harry’s mother, Charlotte Charles, and the teenager's father, Tim Dunn, said they felt let down by the decision to allow Ms Sacoolas - to flee after the collision outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.

The family's spokesman Radd Seiger said their lawyers, Mark Stephens and Geoffrey Robertson QC, are now prepared to launch a full investigation into the FCO over their involvement in the decision to grant immunity to Mrs Sacoolas.

Mr Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said: "Everyone loved him"
PA

Mr Seiger said: "What Mark and I are going to do, is we are going to write to the FCO very shortly, explaining that we don't want to do a judicial review, but to avoid that please let us have the following documents - all e-mails, messages, notes in relation to your advice to Northamptonshire Police that this lady had it (diplomatic immunity).

"What we don't know is whether somebody cocked up or whether they were put under pressure by the Americans to concede.

"We want to conduct an investigation into the FCO's decision to advise Northamptonshire Police that this lady had the benefit of diplomatic immunity.

"If we're not satisfied, then we'll go to a judicial review and ask a High Court judge to review it all."

The Standard has contacted Ms Sacoolas's lawyers for comment.

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