Harry Dunn hearing ‘vacated’ to enable ongoing discussions with Sacoolas

  • 1/14/2022
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Harry Dunn’s alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas, will no longer face a court hearing, to enable “ongoing discussions” with the Crown Prosecution Service to continue. The CPS previously said in a statement that the 44-year-old’s case would be heard at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday, but the hearing has now been vacated. Sacoolas is accused of causing death by dangerous driving after a fatal road crash outside US military base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August 2019. The suspect had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US government after the collision, and was able to leave the UK 19 days after the incident. In a statement issued on Friday, the CPS said: “Following engagement between the parties, the hearing on 18 January at Westminster magistrates court has been vacated. This is to enable ongoing discussions between the CPS and Anne Sacoolas’s legal representatives to continue. “Mrs Sacoolas has a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice any proceedings.” Reacting to the announcement, the Dunn family’s spokesperson, Radd Seiger, said the hearing had now been postponed. “We have full faith in the Crown Prosecution Service and will wait to hear from them with further developments, hopefully in the near future,” he said. “Harry’s family were obviously looking forward to the hearing on Tuesday so they hope an agreement will be reached sooner rather than later. It is vitally important for their mental health that justice and closure is achieved soon.” The CPS statement for the first time confirms discussions are continuing between the British government prosecution service and the lawyers for Sacoolas. Seiger said previously: “The family have had their civil justice but their number one objective is to have criminal justice.” Seiger added that it was his understanding that if Sacoolas was convicted of anything by a UK court, it was open to the two governments to enter into a bespoke agreement so the sentence was served in the US. This is something the Dunn family has previously accepted. The family have had little to no direct contact about how the proceedings will take place if they occur, or the way in which any sentence would be served.

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