Police 'should have arrested' fatal crash diplomat

An American diplomat who was driving on the wrong side of the road when she caused a fatal car crash "could and should have been arrested", a review has concluded.

Motorcyclist Harry Dunn, 19, died in 2019 after being hit by a car driven by Anne Sacoolas, who, 19 days later, left the UK under diplomatic immunity laws.

An independent report has criticised Northamptonshire Police's handling of the investigation, with Mr Dunn's family saying they had been "failed by the very people we should have been able to trust".

Northamptonshire Police has apologised, saying it failed "to do the very best for the victim".

Responding to the report, Harry's mother Charlotte Charles told BBC Radio 4's Today show: "Having had 48 hours now to reflect, my anger is as high as it probably was in the beginning.

"To learn that they [police] prioritised Anne Sacoolas's welfare over my boy, that was dying in that ditch, I'm just bewildered.

"I'm absolutely bewildered that the most fundamental of policing was not carried out. I'm struggling to get my head around that."

Mr Dunn died as a result of injuries suffered when his Kawasaki motorcycle was hit by Sacoolas's car outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August 2019.

The 118-page report, commissioned by Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet and written by Karl Whiffen, a former senior officer from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, examined the force's handling of the case and made 38 separate recommendations.

The review found that Sacoolas was not arrested at the scene because she was deemed to be in a state of shock and that it was not deemed necessary at the time.

"A prompt and effective investigation was not considered or articulated," the report said.

"The view is that in these circumstances the suspect could and should have been arrested to assist the evidence gathering process."

After leaving the country she pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving via video link at the Old Bailey in December 2022, and was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Mr Dunn was not under the influence of any substance at the time of the collision, but the report found that he was subjected to drug testing, while Sacoolas was not.

A witness overheard Sacoolas say "it's all my fault, I was on the wrong side of the road", according to the report.

None of the officers at the scene managed to gather footage from their body worn video - one tried but failed after their camera indicated either low battery or no memory available.

The report is also heavily critical of Northamptonshire Police's former chief constable, Nick Adderley.

He made "erroneous statements" about Sacoolas's immunity status in media interviews and his criticism of the Dunn family spokesman, Radd Seiger, during a news conference was also singled out for criticism.

Mr Adderley was subsequently sacked for gross misconduct in 2024 for lying about his career in the Royal Navy.

The BBC has attempted to contact him but has so far not received a response.

There was also a delay in telling the family the US State Department employee had fled the country under diplomatic cover.

This was at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the report said.

The FCDO, which the report author said did not co-operate with the inquiry, subsequently appeared to seek to distance itself from the impact of that decision, it added.

The FCDO said: "The Foreign Secretary has met with members of Harry Dunn's family.

"He has the deepest respect for the resolve they have shown since Harry's tragic death and remains personally committed to ensuring lessons are learned from the handling of the case under the previous Government."

The report added that Mr Dunn's clothing had been bundled together in a single bag along with other crash debris.

"These are failures no family should ever have to endure," Ms Charles told the BBC.

"I remain so angry at Adderley to this day. We knew from the outset that there was a problem with him and we will never forgive him for launching his personal attacks on our neighbour and spokesperson, Radd Seiger."

But she singled out the officer in charge of the case, who has not been named, for showing "genuine care and commitment when others above her fell short".

She added that she appreciated the "candid and transparent approach to this report" and said she would make sure the 38 recommendations were "absolutely carried out and seen through, so that nobody gets treated the way my boy and our family did".

Family spokesperson Mr Seiger said it was "astonishing" how police got a "relatively straightforward road traffic collision... wrong, right from the start".

"We don't really blame the junior officers, but the report is very critical of the leadership," he said.

"They should have arrested her; had they arrested her, the course of justice might have been different. We'll never know now.

"The police are such a fundamental public body in our society, and we trust them. Six years ago, things could not have been handled any worse."

Assistant Chief Constable Emma James said: "First and foremost, on behalf of Northamptonshire Police, I want to apologise to Harry's family for what is now clear was a failure on our part to do the very best for the victim in this case.

"It was vitally important that Northamptonshire Police conducted this review into the most high profile case in the force's history, a case where clear and significant shortcomings have now been properly and independently unearthed.

"The picture which emerges is one of a force which has failed the family on a number of fronts, and we hope the findings, which are troubling in several respects, will provide some answers to questions which the family will have wanted to know in the years that have passed."

She said she had met with Mr Dunn's mother and his father, Tim Dunn, in private on Monday to present the report's findings.

The BBC has tried to contact Sacoolas.

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