Harry Dunn’s mother has branded the US authorities’ decision to secretly fly an American diplomat accused of possessing indecent images of children out of the UK as “unforgivable”.
According to The Sun, British police were not informed before US officials reportedly raided the diplomat’s London flat last month, seizing him and taking him to an American airbase for removal.
US personnel have no powers of arrest in Britain and there was no formal request for the man to be extradited.
Charlotte Charles, the mother of teenage motorcyclist Harry who was killed by US citizen Anne Sacoolas before diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf, told the Press Association the latest reports have “all the hallmarks” of her son’s case as she hit out at the Trump administration.
Speaking on Monday, Charles said: “I’m disgusted once again by the US government. This has all the hallmarks of Harry’s case all over it and it is unforgivable.
“They wouldn’t like other countries coming to Washington DC to do this – why on earth do they think they can get away with it here?
“I hope the public speak up again like they did for us for Harry and that this man is extradited back here to the UK where he belongs to face justice.”
Sacoolas eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving at a virtual High Court hearing in December 2022 and was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for a year.
UK ministers are understood to be in contact with the US embassy over the latest incident, which could further strain relations between London and Washington.
Radd Seiger, an adviser and spokesperson for the Dunn family, said the reports were “profoundly disturbing”.
Seiger stated: “There are international rules governing these situations. There are diplomatic channels, there are mutual legal assistance arrangements, there is a UK-US extradition treaty.
“If America wanted this individual in the United States to face American justice, there were lawful ways of achieving that. They appear to have thrown all of that out of the window.”
He added: “The British Government must now stand up for British law, British sovereignty and the victims of any alleged crimes committed here.
“It must do everything lawfully available to ensure that justice is not simply flown 4,000 miles away because that is what the United States has decided it wants.
“The United States cannot be left to behave like a thug on the international playing field.”
A Government spokesperson declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing US probe, but said Britain expects all foreign diplomats to obey the law while in the UK “in the same way we expect all UK diplomats to do so when posted overseas”.
A spokesperson for the US embassy said it was “aware of allegations” about one of their staff, and expected “all personnel to adhere to the highest standards of conduct”.
The Metropolitan Police said the force is continuing to liaise with US authorities about the case.
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