'Left in the dark':' Family of U.K. teen killed in crash involving spouse of U.S. diplomat seeks ans

[Judi Lynn]

Source: NBC News

'Left in the dark':' Family of U.K. teen killed in crash involving spouse of U.S. diplomat seeks answers

By Erin McLaughlin and Yuliya Talmazan and Alanna Satur and Abigail Williams and Brian Oxenhandler with NBC News World News• last updated: 06/10/2019 - 19:34

LONDON — The family of a British teen killed in a crash involving a spouse of a U.S. diplomat, who has since left the U.K., are calling for her to come back to face justice."She needs to come back and see what she's done," Charlotte Charles, the teen's mom, told NBC News Saturday, fighting back tears.The family says they want the suspect in their son's death to return to the U.K. to face a trial. But so far, they've had no answers. No one has been charged in connection with the case yet "We've just been left in the dark," Charles said. "We've got no answers, we've got nothing from her to say that she's remorseful," she added.

Harry Dunn, 19, was killed in late August in a collision near RAF Croughton, an air force base in Northamptonshire in central England that is used by the United States.He was on his motorcycle when he collided with a Volvo XC90 going the wrong way, according to police. A 42-year-old American woman is being treated as a suspect.

The U.S. State Department confirmed to NBC News that the other driver was a spouse of a U.S. diplomat assigned to the U.K., but that due to security and privacy considerations, the identity of the diplomat or their spouse could not be revealed.

"We can confirm the family has left the U.K.," the State Dept. said, adding that "any questions regarding a waiver of immunity with regard to our diplomats and their family members overseas in a case like this receive careful attention at senior levels are considered carefully given the global impact such decisions carry; immunity is rarely waived."

. . .

Superintendent Sarah Johnson with Northamptonshire Police said in a statement Saturday that the suspect left the U.K. despite initially telling British investigators she had no plans to leave the country in the near future.


Read more: https://www.euronews.com/2019/10/06/family-u-k-teen-killed-crash-involving-spouse-u-s-n1062941?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+euronews%2Fen%2Fnews+%28euronews+-+news+-+en%29

[PoliticAverse]

1. Sounds like someone from the US reflexively returned to driving on the right side of the road. n/t

[abqtommy]

2. I read about this on the BBC and Guardian this morning. I hope this "suspect" diplomatic

spouse will be extradited back to the U.K.

[Igel]

3. State Department will consider it.

The usual course of action is to try them here. It could be taken to show that we don't value immunity much for our own people, and immunity's really important. Plus it's easy for a country with leaders who don't like the US to produce a family and a corpse and press charges. Then the issue is the problem you've set with precedent. Do you *really* want to go on record saying that Country X stages show trials after framing somebody? Publicly? And loudly? It's one thing for the US press to diss another country, for diplomatic communiques with ambassadors or even between the US president and the foreign leader to be brutally candid. It's another for the diplomat in chief, however undiplomatic, to weigh in and publicly dishonor the other leader.

It feels good, sure, if you don't like the other country. But it sometimes leads to worse outcomes overall.

The precedent is also that it would appear that we might not care about other countries' immunity--and there have been cases where somebody with immunity from abroad kills somebody in the US, with diplomatic wrangling that can take a while to work out because ultimately it's the other country's person and privilege. Even then, it's one thing if it's an accident, another if it's murder. The diplomatic outcome is often "try the person in their home country."


Also consider that it's possible, given the overlap in functions between the diplomatic corps and intelligence agencies that the diplomat's wife might have a task completely different from being the "diplomat's wife."

[orleans]

4. her name is revealed

they were on a u.s. spy base outside of london

[Judi Lynn]

5. Thank you for the video. Can't see how she should be able to simply turn her back and walk away. n/t

[orleans]

6. just saw this -- a few details about her

https://heavy.com/news/2019/10/anne-sacoolas/

[Judi Lynn]

8. This couldn't happen with decent people running the country. No possible excuse could apply here.

How the U.S. ever gets other countries to accept these conditions is unforgivable.

If the slug can't drive responsibly she should only go with a driver.

Wish they would bring backs the stocks and let her be on display in England so others might come to pay her appropriate respect, instead of getting her the hell outta there before anyone knew she was going.

Thank you for the link.

[orleans]

7. and in response to your comment

the first thing i thought was: american republican white privilege

so i googled and found the heavy link

check, check, check, check

[Judi Lynn]

11. By all means. "We're #1." n/t

[PoliticAverse]

9. From 2013...

U.S. diplomat flees Kenya after crash kills father of 3

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-diplomat-flees-kenya-after-crash-kills-father-of-3-1.1310174

[Judi Lynn]

10. In this case the diplomat himself was driving recklessly. This is hideous.

Joshua Walde

They just move on to their next assignment, it seems.

What a monstrous situation.

They should at the very least, be forced to carry insurance for paying restitution to the survivors of their victims.

Thanks for this additional example. Clearly, the protection given the diplomats and their families doesn't seem to drive home the need to treat people in the other countries with any respect at all.

Loathsome.