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Review of Harry Dunn case 'will be embarrassing'

Kris Holland
BBC News, Northamptonshire
Dunn family A young man with brown hair wearing a green hoodie. He is sitting in front of a stone wall with a framed picture on it.Dunn family
Harry Dunn died outside RAF Croughton in 2019

The spokesperson for the family of Harry Dunn has said he expects a government review into how the former Conservative government handled the case to be "painfully embarrassing".

Mr Dunn, a 19-year-old motorcyclist, was hit by a car being driven on the wrong side of the road by Anne Sacoolas near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019.

She left the country after the incident, with the US State Department claiming she had diplomatic immunity from prosecution.

On Monday, the Foreign Office (FO) confirmed a review would be held to look into the handling of the case. The Conservatives, who were in government at the time, have been approached for comment.

The review will be led by Dame Anne Owers, who will look at the actions of the FO between Mr Dunn's death on 27 August and the end of the year.

Sacoolas pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving in 2022 and was given an eight-month suspended jail term.

The UK government allowed her to leave the country after the incident and, in the family's view, gave inappropriate advice on the issue of immunity.

PA Media A man with very short white hair wearing a black T-shirt and a woman with medium-length white hair wearing long drop earrings, a silver necklace and a black dress. They are standing on grass outside the House of Commons.PA Media
Charlotte Charles, Mr Dunn's mother, and family spokesperson Radd Seiger visited the Foreign Office last June

Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton's Annabel Amos, Radd Seiger said: "I think it will be painfully embarrassing for the then Tory government.

"We know the Foreign Office is a wonderful establishment that looks after British citizens all around the world, but what it isn't good at is helping people locally.

"I think [the review] is going to be a very revealing exercise. We want to do this constructively, we don't want to be destructive – we aren't asking for people to be held to account.

"We just want to make sure that if this ever happens again that the government puts its best foot forward and doesn't run away from the problem."

Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who announced the review, said: "We are honouring the commitments we have made to [the Dunn family].

"I am confident the review into how the case was handled by the previous government has the remit required to properly address the family's concerns and to ensure lessons are learned."

A woman with medium-length brown hair looking at the camera with a slight smile on her face. She is wearing a red jacket over a black top. She is standing in front of a red picture hanging on a wall.
Former Chief Inspector of Prisons Dame Anne Owers will lead the review

The FO said the review's final report would be published in full, subject only to redactions relating to national security or personal information.

It will look at the role of the FO but not the actions of the US government.

Monday's announcement came just over a week after an independent report criticised Northamptonshire Police, which apologised for its handling of the investigation.

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