The Government is facing calls to act after US authorities secretly flew a diplomat accused of possessing indecent images of children out of the UK. Officials are reported to have raided the US diplomat’s London flat last month, taking him to an airbase for removal without informing the British police first.
Concerns over arrest powers and extradition
This is despite US personnel not having powers of arrest in Britain and there being no formal request for the man to be extradited. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said he was concerned that the US was guilty of "a cover-up" and the diplomat may have committed offences in the UK.
He said: "If this is the case, the diplomat should face trial in an English court."
Letter to the Justice Secretary
In a letter to Justice Secretary Alex Norris, Mr Timothy said the incident was part of a "concerning pattern" in which US authorities prosecuted cases against American servicemen accused of offences against British civilians while based in the UK. He said he had received reports of other offences that had been dealt with in the same way, writing: "These cases should have been investigated by the English police, and prosecuted in our courts."
He added: "I ask you to urgently explain what action you are taking to address this, and what will be done to ensure the accused diplomat faces a proper investigation in this country."
Official responses
A Government spokesperson declined to comment due to the ongoing US investigation, but said Britain expects all foreign diplomats to obey the law while in the UK "in the same way we expect all UK diplomats to do so when posted overseas".
A spokesperson for the US embassy said it was "aware of allegations" about one of its staff members and expected "all personnel to adhere to the highest standards of conduct". Saying they could not comment on the specifics of the case, the spokesperson added: "We quickly informed UK law enforcement and took swift action, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners regarding these allegations.
"The individual in question has been reassigned to the United States in conjunction with an ongoing investigation. The embassy has informed British authorities of the case."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "On Tuesday August 25, US authorities made us aware of an investigation they are conducting into suspected offences in London relating to indecent images of children. We continue to liaise with them regarding this matter."
