Harry Dunn's mother to her son on anniversary of fatal Northamptonshire crash: 'We made you that promise and we are fulfilling it'

Charlotte Charles looks back on 12 months of untold heartache and an international campaign for justice
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One year on from the fatal crash which caused untold heartache for a Northamptonshire family and sparked an international scandal, Harry Dunn's mother would have a simple message for her son.

"To Harry, we would say, we made you that promise and we are fulfilling it," Charlotte Charles told this newspaper.

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"We know he would be proud of all us and so pleased that his name is now immortalised in international law following the closing of the loophole and that this will never happen again."

Just before 8.25pm 12 months ago today (Thursday, August 27), Harry left his twin brother Niall's house in Croughton and headed east on the B4031 on his motorbike.

The road is fairly straight but goes into a dip after the national speed limit at the edge of the village before a couple of bends before RAF Croughton.

At the top of the dip was where the 19-year-old biker was involved in a head-on crash with a Volvo car being driven on the wrong side of the road by a woman with a child passenger.

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Harry was thrown off his Kawasaki motorcycle and suffered serious injuries - a doctor arrived 41 minutes after the start of the 999 call before an ambulance got there two minutes later.

Harry DunnHarry Dunn
Harry Dunn

He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken on blue lights to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he died in the early hours of the next day.

Charlotte did not manage to get to her son before he passed away but promised him that she would get justice for his death, taking a lock of his hair as a keepsake.

To mark the anniversary, a bike rally is being held in Brackley before a candlelit vigil at the airbase entrance but the pain is still just as raw as the day of the crash.

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"We are just absolutely heartbroken. We can’t believe a year has passed since we lost our beautiful Harry," she said.

(L-R) Harry's step-father Bruce Charles, mother Charlotte Charles, step-brother Ciaran Charles, the family's spokesman, Radd Seiger, Harry's step-mother Tracey Dunn and father Tim Dunn(L-R) Harry's step-father Bruce Charles, mother Charlotte Charles, step-brother Ciaran Charles, the family's spokesman, Radd Seiger, Harry's step-mother Tracey Dunn and father Tim Dunn
(L-R) Harry's step-father Bruce Charles, mother Charlotte Charles, step-brother Ciaran Charles, the family's spokesman, Radd Seiger, Harry's step-mother Tracey Dunn and father Tim Dunn

"He was full of the joys of life and has left a massive hole in our lives. We are all struggling to cope. Life seems to be going in slow motion."

The driver of the Volvo XC90 was Anne Sacoolas, an American woman who had only been in the country for three weeks as her husband Jonathan was working at RAF Croughton for the United States government.

CCTV footage shows her car leaving the airbase on the right-hand-side of the road and heading west towards Croughton still in the wrong carriageway with her child onboard.

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She initially co-operated with police following the crash and made no indication she would claim diplomatic immunity the next day when officers visited to take her statement.

A Justice4Harry banner at the site of the crash on the B4031 outside CroughtonA Justice4Harry banner at the site of the crash on the B4031 outside Croughton
A Justice4Harry banner at the site of the crash on the B4031 outside Croughton

On September 16, Northamptonshire Police's application for her diplomatic immunity to be waived was declined and they were informed Sacoolas and her family had flown to the States.

Harry's family was told the woman accused of killing Harry had left the country on September 23, five days after the teenager's funeral at Banbury Crematorium.

On October 2, the Justice4Harry campaign was launched to get Sacoolas back - a GoFundMe page quickly received a lot of donations and currently sits at more than £141,000.

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Charlotte said: "We know the campaign has been a good thing for us to do. We know it is the right thing to do.

"We can see the incredible progress we are making towards reaching our goal. It is keeping us going and we won’t rest until we have achieved all our goals.

"But above all else we just miss our boy terribly and we are all so sad."

(L-R) Tracey Dunn, Tim Dunn, Charlotte Charles and Bruce Charles in London in October for a meeting with the foreign secretary. Photo: Getty Images(L-R) Tracey Dunn, Tim Dunn, Charlotte Charles and Bruce Charles in London in October for a meeting with the foreign secretary. Photo: Getty Images
(L-R) Tracey Dunn, Tim Dunn, Charlotte Charles and Bruce Charles in London in October for a meeting with the foreign secretary. Photo: Getty Images

The campaign has taken the family from the offices of Northamptonshire Police's chief constable, the foreign secretary and many other ministers.

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They even met US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, where the leader of the free world tried to arrange for an impromptu meeting with Sacoolas, which was declined.

Much has been achieved by the family, who were told there was less than a one per cent chance of having anyone held accountable for Harry’s loss.

Sacoolas was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December, which resulted in a formal extradition request from the Home Office.

While the US State Department rejected it, insisting she was covered diplomatic immunity, the family remains steadfast in their belief she will face justice - not if, but how and when.

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"With the support of the media and millions of people around the world, we refused to accept the US Government’s invitation to just accept that Harry’s life was meaningless," Charlotte said.

"Never say that to a parent, to a mother. Harry’s life was important. All our lives are important and if the Americans injure or kills us, no matter who they are, they will stay and answer for their actions.

"And Mrs Sacoolas will answer for what she did to Harry. We now know when are in the home straight and it is just a matter of time before she faces our justice system."

Other highlights of the past year include the red notice issued by Interpol for Sacoolas' arrest in May and the closing of the legal loophole which allowed her to claim diplomatic immunity in the first place.

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A new agreement has been made by the British and American authorities for how diplomatic immunity applies to US service personnel at RAF Croughton and their dependants.

US lawyers used the old waiver, which did not explicitly include spouses, to argue Sacoolas should not face prosecution for breaking the law - something Harry's family is still fighting in the courts.

Another success has been convincing Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to commission a review into road safety in and around RAF Croughton and the other US bases in the country.

As for the future, Charlotte said: "We will continue to take it a day at a time. We have secured two of our three objectives.

"This will never happen again. Road safety outside bases is being addressed.

"We will not stop until Mrs Sacoolas is facing the justice system and we have the closure we so desperately need."