Harry Dunn accused open to mediation with Northamptonshire family 'to find a path towards a resolution'

Anne Sacoolas says she is open to mediation with the family of Northamptonshire teenager Harry Dunn after the civil case against her was allowed to go ahead.

Ms Sacoolas reasserted her wish to 'find a path towards a resolution' in a statement released by her lawyer yesterday (Wednesday, February 17).

But the American driver insisted that her diplomatic immunity claim is unaffected by the 'landmark' United States court ruling to let the victim's family sue her for damages.

"As Anne has said repeatedly, she is devastated by this tragic accident and would do anything she could to bring Harry back," the statement reads.

"She has continuously expressed her deepest condolences to the family, and would very much like to find a path forward and to bring the family a measure of peace and closure.

"Anne and her personal attorney, Amy Jeffress, remain willing to discuss options, including mediation, to find a path forward towards a resolution."

Harry, 19, died after a head-on crash between his motorcycle and Sacoolas' car, which was on the wrong side of the road, near Croughton in August 2019.

The American woman claimed diplomatic immunity the next day using a loophole in the waiver agreement for US service personnel at RAF Croughton as her husband was working there on behalf of the US Embassy.

Sacoolas' statement says her departure three weeks later followed the custom of withdrawing a diplomat or their family after a request to waive their diplomatic immunity is denied.

Her diplomatic immunity claim has been questioned after the court for the Eastern District of Virginia heard she was working in intelligence at the time of the fatal crash, rather than just being a spouse.

But Sacoolas' statement says her employment status 'has never been relevant' to her diplomatic immunity claim, which was backed by both countries' governments and the High Court.

Harry's family's spokesman, Radd Seiger, said: "We are very pleased to see the strong indication from Mrs Sacoolas and her personal attorney this afternoon that they are willing to discuss options with a view to finding a path forward.

"I would urge Mrs Jeffress and the Crown Prosecution Service to engage with each other as urgently as possible and the parents and I are more than happy to engage in those discussions if appropriate.

"We are sure that, once a satisfactory resolution is found, both families will be able to begin the path towards recovery."

Judge Thomas Selby Ellis III ruled that Harry's family's civil case for damages can continue in the US courts after Sacoolas' lawyers argued it should be heard in the UK.

The US government rejected an extradition request from the Home Office in January last year after Sacoolas was charged with causing death by dangerous driving.