Harry Dunn second funeral 'much harder' for family

The mother of Harry Dunn has said holding a second funeral for him was "much harder" than the first time.

The 19-year-old died in a crash involving a US State Department employee near RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, in 2019.

A second funeral was arranged after human tissue was found on his clothing which was returned to the family.

His mother, Charlotte Charles, said the family were able to "remember him in the way we want".

It is now more than four years since Harry Dunn died outside RAF Croughton when a car being driven by US Citizen Anne Sacoolas on the wrong side of the road collided with his motorbike.

Mr Dunn's first funeral took place on 18 September 2019, three weeks after the crash.

The family said they were told at the time that everything had been destroyed in an explosion after the crash, but Northamptonshire Police have recently returned clothes which contained human tissue and parts of Mr Dunn's motorbike.

Among the congregation at Banbury Crematorium for the second funeral were Mr Dunn's mother and father, his twin brother Niall and the family's lawyer, Radd Seiger.

During the 15-minute service, a picture of the large number of people who had attended the first service was shown on a screen, along with scenes of a trail of motorbikes formed in honour of Mr Dunn.

Speaking after the service, Harry's father Tim Dunn said he hoped it was the last time he would have to say goodbye to his son.

He told PA: "You think you're moving forwards, moving on with your life, but you just can't do it - it just seems to kick you again and again.

"Hopefully now he can be at peace, at rest. Only my son could have two funerals."

He added that this funeral was more difficult than the first because "first time around we were just numb still from what we were going through at the time".

Mrs Charles said the first funeral had been overshadowed by rumours that Ms Sacoolas had left the country.

She said: "I'm glad we had the opportunity today to remember him in the way we want to remember him without worrying about what people were saying to us that afternoon."

Ms Sacoolas was sentenced to eight months in prison in December 2022, suspended for a year.

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