A parliamentary review into how the UK’s Foreign Office handled the death of the teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn will not include scrutiny of the role or actions of the US government, it is understood.The 19-year-old’s family met senior officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Wednesday where they were told the probe will be led by former chief inspector of prisons, Anne Owers.The review is expected to examine the support the FCDO offered the Dunn family after Harry was killed by a former US state department employee in a road crash in 2019 in Northamptonshire, the PA news agency reported.The American driver, Anne Sacoolas, had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf after the incident outside RAF Croughton before a senior Foreign Office official said they should “feel able” to put her on the next flight home.PA understands the review, which is scheduled to last for three months, is also set to look at the actions taken by the Foreign Office in the months after Harry’s death and the nature of internal decision-making.It will also look to identify lessons to be learned for the FCDO for comparable future situations.The involvement of the US government, which asserted diplomatic immunity on behalf of Sacoolas, will not be examined alongside any issues covered in previous court hearings.The Dunn family’s spokesperson, Radd Seiger, told PA: “I think overall the family are feeling that we are going to leave a legacy for Harry, which is that no family should ever be treated the way this family were by their own government.“The American government really werestepping on their rights; nobody really from the government stepped forward to help them.“Dame Anne is going to look into all of this and make a series of recommendations to David Lammy that should this ever happen again, whether here or abroad, that they will get the support and representation of the government that they need. So we are very, very pleased.“The reason we got justice for Harry in the end was no thanks to the United Kingdom government; it was thanks to the British public and the media on both sides of the Atlantic, who spoke truth to power and made sure that we held them to account.”Last week, Northamptonshire police apologised for “clear and significant shortcomings” in its investigation into Dunn’s death after areviewfound the force “failed his family on a number of fronts”.
US government role to be excluded in review into Harry Dunn’s death
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"UK Parliamentary Review Excludes US Government's Role in Harry Dunn Case"
The Guardian
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TruthLens AI Summary
A parliamentary review has been initiated to investigate the actions of the UK’s Foreign Office in response to the tragic death of Harry Dunn, a 19-year-old motorcyclist who was killed in a road accident in Northamptonshire in 2019. The review will be led by Anne Owers, a former chief inspector of prisons, and will focus on the support provided to Dunn’s family after the incident. This comes in the wake of the involvement of Anne Sacoolas, a former US state department employee who was driving the vehicle that struck Dunn. Following the accident, Sacoolas was granted diplomatic immunity, which has been a point of contention for Dunn's family. During a meeting with senior officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the family was informed that the review would not assess the actions of the US government, particularly regarding the immunity claimed for Sacoolas, nor would it delve into issues addressed in earlier court hearings. The FCDO's handling of the case and the internal decision-making processes following Dunn's death will be scrutinized over the next three months, with the aim of drawing lessons for future cases involving similar circumstances.
The Dunn family, represented by spokesperson Radd Seiger, has expressed a desire to ensure that no other family experiences the neglect they felt from their government during this ordeal. Seiger remarked that the family's pursuit of justice for Harry was largely fueled by public and media support rather than assistance from the UK government. He emphasized that their hope is for the review to result in recommendations that will improve government support for families affected by similar tragedies in the future. This sentiment was echoed by the Dunn family, who believe that the legacy of Harry should lead to better treatment and support for families in distressing situations. Additionally, Northamptonshire police recently apologized for their handling of the investigation into Dunn's death, acknowledging significant shortcomings in their response to the family’s needs.
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