Harry Dunn death: CPS urge Anne Sacoolas to surrender

Prosecutors have written to lawyers for Harry Dunn's alleged killer, urging her to surrender to the UK court.

Mr Dunn, 19, died when his motorbike crashed with a car near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August 2019.

Suspect Anne Sacoolas later returned to the US, claiming diplomatic immunity, and an extradition request has been blocked.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have called for her to "physically" return to the UK to face trial.

Chief crown prosecutor for the East Midlands, Janine Smith, told representatives of Mr Dunn's family that a virtual trial would mean suspect Anne Sacoolas "would not surrender to the court nor accept the court's powers".

In September Mrs Sacoolas' lawyers issued a statement saying she drove on the "wrong side of the road for 20 seconds" before the fatal crash. They also suggested she would consider a virtual trial.

The Dunn family's constituency MP Andrea Leadsom had also written to ministers, including Priti Patel, "asking that they seek a virtual trial of Ms Sacoolas".

The American was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December but an extradition request submitted by the Home Office was refused in January.

The US State Department has since said the decision to reject the request is "final".

In a letter, Ms Smith said: "We have recently written again to the lawyers representing Anne Sacoolas, explaining that the next step in this case is for her to surrender to the jurisdiction of the court.

"We confirmed to them that we do not wish to stand in the way of commencing and concluding the criminal proceedings but a proper trial would need to take place.

"We explained to them that we will consider ways and opportunities to move this case forward but this can only be on the basis that Anne Sacoolas surrenders to the jurisdiction of the UK court."

Updating the family about the prospect of a virtual trial, Ms Smith said: "We have not been able to identify any other method, apart from Anne Sacoolas physically returning to the jurisdiction, by which her surrendering to the court could be achieved."

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