The family of Harry Dunn is initiating legal proceedings against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), alleging failures in the handling of the case following the teenager's death. Harry, 19, died in a collision outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August, involving a car driven by Anne Sacoolas, a US citizen who later left the UK claiming diplomatic immunity.
Family spokesperson Radd Seiger announced the legal action, stating that a letter of claim would be issued as a precursor to a judicial review. The family contends that the FCO's advice to Northamptonshire Police that Mrs Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity was unlawful. 'We are absolutely clear that the Foreign Office's decision ... was unlawful and we will be seeking a judicial review of that decision to have it quashed,' Mr Seiger said.
The FCO defended its position, with a spokeswoman stating: 'We have done everything we can properly to clear a path so that justice can be done for Harry's family. As the foreign secretary set out in Parliament, the individual involved had diplomatic immunity whilst in the country under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.' The FCO said it would respond to any legal action in due course.
In addition to the action against the FCO, the family has referred Northamptonshire Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), expressing concerns about the investigation. Mr Seiger said the force had 'not disclosed all the information this family are entitled to' and that there were 'deep concerns about the manner in which this investigation was conducted'. Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley previously stated the force had acted 'with the utmost integrity and transparency'.
Mr Seiger also appealed for Mrs Sacoolas to return to the UK, saying: 'Come back to this country and face the music.' Both the British and US governments agree that by returning to the US, Mrs Sacoolas forfeited her right to diplomatic immunity.
