Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat, was not adequately trained before the crash that killed 19-year-old motorcyclist Harry Dunn outside an American airbase in August 2019, according to Northamptonshire coroner Anne Pember. Dunn died as a result of injuries sustained during a head-on collision outside RAF Croughton, where Sacoolas’s husband was based at the time. Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity following the crash and left the UK, sparking an ongoing diplomatic dispute between the UK and the US.
Pember’s criticism of the US government’s training provided to Sacoolas is likely to further inflame tensions between the countries. In 2019, the US rejected an extradition request for Sacoolas, who was charged with causing death by dangerous driving. The request was described as “highly inappropriate” by then-President Donald Trump. In May 2021, the UK’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, condemned the US’s offer of a “virtual trial” for Sacoolas as “not a path to justice” for Dunn’s family.
The case has garnered significant media attention and public outcry, with Dunn’s family calling for Sacoolas to return to the UK to face justice. The UK government has expressed sympathy for the family and has sought justice through diplomatic channels. Dunn’s mother, Charlotte Charles, commented that Pember’s finding was “positive news”, stating that it felt like “we’re going to get there in the end
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