THE family and legal team fighting for some kind of justice for Harry Dunn death are a step closer this week, as the foreign secretary has confirmed a ‘virtual trial’ can go ahead.
The news is the closest the family have come to finding some kind of accountability for the death of their son, who was killed in 2019 after being struck by a car being driven ‘instinctively’ on the wrong side of the road outside RAF Croughton.
The alleged driver of the car was US national Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US CIA operative based at the US Air Force base. Despite being advised not to leave the country, Sacoolas and her husband later fled the country on a military flight using the veil of diplomatic immunity to do so.
Despite repeated pleas from the UK government, Dunn’s family, and the CPS for Sacoolas to return to the UK to face trial, any extradition requests were declined, seemingly leaving all doors closed in the family’s quest for justice.
Now though the news of a virtual trial seems like the only route the family will have to gain the closure they so desperately seek to find.
The process of a virtual trial still remains unclear, although in this age of Zoom meetings and online conferences, we can assume it will play out in a similar manner. Sacoolas will likely sit in the US, while being effectively put on trial by under the rules of the English legal system, with English QCs overseeing the proceedings.
As Sacoolas never denied that the incident wasn’t her fault, and has previously claimed she would be willing to undertake some form of community service in the US, the chances are that the outcome of the trial – and whatever sentence is handed down – the US will be pushing for a similar outcome.
Sacoolas lawyer, Amy Jeffress has previously said:
"We understand that community service is a typical sentence for offences like this.
"We have offered ever since over a year ago that she would be willing to serve that kind of a sentence and to make a contribution in Harry's memory, to take other steps to try to bring some peace to the family."
