Citing diplomatic immunity, the U.S. formally refused a request from the British government Thursday to extradite Anne Sacoolas, an American citizen and wife of a U.S. diplomat, who is accused of causing the death of British teenager Harry Dunn by dangerous driving in August, 2019.
Dunn was killed when the car Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road struck his motorbike near a base used by the U.S. Air Force in Croughton, U.K.
Sacoolas left the U.K. after being questioned by police, citing diplomatic immunity. Dunn’s family has since mounted a campaign to have her extradited to face charges.
Announcing that Sacoolas would not be extradited, the State Department said granting the request “would render the invocation of diplomatic immunity a practical nullity and would set an extraordinarily troubling precedent.”
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the U.S.’s decision. “We feel this amounts to a denial of justice, and we believe Anne Sacoolas should return to the U.K.,” he said in a statement, adding he had conveyed his disappointment to the U.S. Ambassador, Woody Johnson. “We are now urgently considering our options. I also explained that the U.K. would have acted differently if this had been a U.K. diplomat serving in the U.S.”
Sacoolas said through her lawyers earlier this month that she has no intention to return to the U.K. “This was an accident, and a criminal prosecution with a potential penalty of 14 years imprisonment is simply not a proportionate response,” her lawyer Amy Jeffress said.
President has Trump previously defended Sacoolas, blaming the U.K.’s system of driving on the left hand side of the road for the collision. “It happens in Europe, as the roads are opposite. It’s tough if you’re from the United States. You do make that right turn when you are supposed to make a left turn; the roads are opposite. She says that is what happened. That happens to a lot of people, by the way.” (Most countries in Europe, unlike Britain, drive on the right hand side of the road.)
