By Lucy Calkett-
The mother of the British teenager Harry Dunn has said she has fulfilled her promise to give her son justice after his killer was sentenced for causing his death.
Dunn’s mother, Charlotte Charles expressed satisfaction at the suspended sentence given to her son’s killer, despite him escaping jail “Job done, promise complete. Properly, properly complete now. Anne Sacoolas now has a criminal record. Yep, Harry, we’ve done it. We would have been happy with anything – for us, it was just about doing the right thing.”
The expression of satisfaction was the best the family could hope for, given the fact the crime arose from negligent action, not premeditated crime, but many people would naturally have preferred to see the offender that killed their love one jailed.
Formal justice for her bereaved family at least salvaged some of the pain lost during the long and challenging process of bringing her son’s killer before a caught.
She said she would have been happy with anything – for us, it was just about doing the right thing.
Uk Government et Down
Accusing the British authorities of incompetence, she said they ‘let us down’ badly following the death of her son.
She told Sky News that the US are ‘not my favourite and they are never going to be’, adding that ‘the UK really let us down badly in the beginning’.
Ms Charles continued: ‘They are starting to come good, I think. But I think I need to reserve judgement for now.’
Family spokesman Radd Seiger also launched a scathing attack on the U.S athourities, saying: ‘Our real enemy here isn’t Anne Sacoolas, our real enemy here is the US government, who after Harry’s death decided instead of doing the right thing for the family, decided to kick them in the stomach.’
He described the case as ‘one of the most extraordinary legal cases in English history’, adding that he was in awe of Harry’s parents for their persistent campaigning.
Anne Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit the 19-year-old outside a US military base in Northamptonshire in 2019. It led to a storm that threatened international relations between the US and UK governments.
Mrs Charles, Harry’s mother, added that her “promise” to get justice for her son through the UK courts was “well and truly complete”.
Following the crash, Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US administration and left the country 19 days later. She never returned to the UK.
Sacoolas, who admitted earlier this year to causing death by careless driving, appeared at London’s Old Bailey via video-link after her employer, the US government, advised her not to travel to the UK to attend in person.
Despicable
Mrs Charles branded the 45-year-old’s failure to attend was “despicable”, adding she was “absolutely disgusted” at the actions of the US.
Mr Dunn’s father, Tim Dunn, said: “It’s been such a relentless time, we as a family fought off everything we can to get to this point.”
Mrs Charles added: “Anne Sacoolas has a criminal record for the rest of her life.
“That was something she never thought she’d see, something the US government never thought they’d see.
“Harry we done it. We’re good, we’re good.”
Mrs Charles also spoke about being unable to say goodbye to her son because he was too injured by the time she reached the hospital.
“I couldn’t comfort him at all. I couldn’t let him know that I was there. So for me, the next best thing was to kiss that bruised lip of his and just let him know that I would fight for justice,” she told Sky News.
She said the family was no longer interested in meeting Sacoolas, adding: “The time for any contact, for any remorse, is long gone.”
Family spokesman Radd Seiger said they wanted a parliamentary inquiry and hoped to work with the Foreign Office to prevent others from going through the same thing.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has requested to meet the family, he said.
Sacoolas, who was also disqualified from driving for 12 months, was originally charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service accepted her guilty plea to the lesser charge.
In her sentencing remarks, which were broadcast live, Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: “There is no doubt that the calm and dignified persistence of these parents and the family of that young man has led, through three years of heartbreak and effort, to your appearance before the court and the opportunity for you to acknowledge your guilt of a crime.”
Mr Cleverly also paid tribute to the “incredible resolve” of the family.
“Anne Sacoolas has finally been sentenced in a British court,” he said.
He added her appearance via video-link was “the most viable way to bring the case to court and give justice to Harry’s family”.
The family criticised the US government for advising Sacoolas not to travel to the UK to face justice, which in effect made any sentence unenforceable.
Sacoolas defied the persuasion of the judge to attend the sentencing hearing in person after she pleaded guilty, again remotely, in October to causing the death of Dunn.
She sad she would have been content with anything , adding that it was just about doing the right thing.’
And asked if she would meet Sacoolas, Ms Charles said: ‘Too much too late now.’
She also accused British authorities of having ‘let us down’ badly following the death of her son.
She told Sky News that the US are ‘not my favourite and they are never going to be’, adding that ‘the UK really let us down badly in the beginning’.
Ms Charles continued: ‘They are starting to come good, I think. But I think I need to reserve judgement for now.’
Enemy
Family spokesman Radd Seiger also said: ‘Our real enemy here isn’t Anne Sacoolas, our real enemy here is the US government, who after Harry’s death decided instead of doing the right thing for the family, decided to kick them in the stomach.’
He described the case as ‘one of the most extraordinary legal cases in English history’, adding that he was in awe of Harry’s parents for their persistent campaigning.
Mrs Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told Sacoolas on Thursday that “at no point” in proceedings had it been suggested she was not free to travel to the UK, but that a renewed application to appear via video link had been made last month that made reference to harassment she and her family had received.