Harry Dunn's mother: 'Those who live near RAF Croughton can be certain what happened to us will never happen again'

With a couple of signatures, the people of Northamptonshire can be certain any Americans with links to RAF Croughton who break the law will face justice.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday (Wednesday, July 22).agreed to close the legal loophole which allowed Anne Sacoolas to claim diplomatic immunity after allegedly killing Harry Dunn.

Harry's mother, Charlotte Charles, told this newspaper: "The communities in south Northamptonshire and north Oxfordshire, who live near the base, can now be certain that what happened to us will never happen again.

"It is so important for our mental health, having lost Harry, that we get justice and closure, so that we can try to rebuild our shattered lives - without that we won’t be able to.

"Harry really has left his mark on planet earth, not just locally in making things safer for all of us who live here, but globally in terms of international law and diplomatic practice.

"He will be up there looking down on us and smiling."

It has been a long 11 months for the family of ordinary people from Charlton and Brackley who have shown extraordinary levels of determination and grace in their battle for answers.

Everything started when Charlotte promised Harry she would get justice for him after he died in hospital following the crash outside Croughton in August last year.

When the public campaign got going after the family found out Sacoolas had left the country claiming diplomatic immunity, one of the first aims was to ensure it did not happen to anyone else again.

That goal was achieved when Mr Raab told the House of Commons the 'anomaly' being used by the US to protect the wife of an American officer at RAF Croughton from prosecution had been amended.

Charlotte said: "We are just so proud of Team Harry for achieving this milestone and pleased that one of Harry’s legacies will be that this will never happen again.

"The base and our community must live side by side and be respectful of each other and do the right thing when things go wrong.

"We can sleep a little easier now knowing that one of the main limbs of our campaign has been achieved."

In 1995, the former Banbury MP and then-Foreign Office minister signed an 'exchange of notes' with the US, prophesising the tragic events that would unfold 24 years later.

The secret agreement waived the rights of American service personnel at RAF Croughton to immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations outside the course of their duties.

On August 27, 2019, Sacoolas left the airbase, where her husband Jonathan was based as a US government official, with her young son in her Volvo XC90.

Anne Sacoolas, a former CIA officer herself, drove on the right-hand-side of the B4036 as she headed towards Croughton and fatally crashed head-first into Harry's motorcycle.

After initially co-operating with police, officers were told by the government that she had diplomatic immunity as US lawyers decided because the 1995 waiver did not explicitly mention dependants, they were not included.

Mr Raab described this as 'an anomaly' in the Commons last year and had ordered a review of the arrangement at RAF Croughton, which resulted in this week's changes.

Ms Charles, whose lawyers are preparing for a judicial review hearing later this year over the ordeal, said: "We, of course, say it is not an anomaly - it is an absurdity.

"Under international law you cannot have a dependent having greater immunity than the diplomat him or herself.

"Had Jonathan killed Harry, he would have had to stay and be prosecuted. Yet his wife Anne was allowed to walk way.

"That is just ludicrous and we are confident that at our judicial review hearing in November the court will find that Anne herself did not have immunity."

Despite Anne Sacoolas being charged with causing death by dangerous driving, the US government insists she has diplomatic immunity and refuses to extradite her.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Raab have described the affair as 'a denial of justice' and discussed the case with Mr Pompeo during his visit to the UK on Tuesday.

Harry's family were called for a meeting with the foreign secretary ahead of yesterday's announcement, which Charlotte described as 'cordial'.

The Northamptonshire campaigners have had a turbulent relationship with the government, who allowed Sacoolas to leave, refused to help them but eventually listened to their appeal.

Harry's mum gave Mr Raab credit for convincing the US to change the RAF Croughton diplomatic immunity waiver to expressly include family members as well as all US staff.

The revised arrangements also contain a new waiver from inviolability, including complete protection from arrest and detention.

But the family's spokesman and advisor, Radd Seiger, demanded the Government not rest until Sacoolas is back to face her charge.

Charlotte said: "We still want a clear plan from the Government so that we can see what they are doing to get her back, using diplomatic measures and sanctions if necessary if they refuse to do send her back.

"At the moment, the US government is not budging but we know that she will be back one day, particularly after the developments this week - there is no other way and it is just a matter of time."

The anniversary of Harry's death is just over a month away but Charlotte said they are are trying not to think about it too much.

Alongside the endless campaigning, they have Harry's twin brother Niall and other siblings to look after as a family while getting through each day can be difficult enough.

But they are planning to pay tribute to their beloved son by scattering his ashes in Weymouth, which was his favourite place to go on holiday.

"He told us that if anything ever happened to him that’s where he wanted to end up," she said.

"So we are going to honour that request as a family and try to find a way to have a bit of a break ourselves.

"As soon as we are back we will sit down as a family and Radd to work out how we are going to spend the time leading up to the anniversary and the day."