Wife of U.S. Diplomat Who Killed U.K. Teen in Accidental Wrong-Way Crash Gets Diplomatic Immunity
An American diplomat's wife will not face prosecution in the U.K. for a fatal wrong-way crash with a 19-year-old motorcyclist more than a year ago, the country's high court determined Tuesday.
Anne Sacoolas, 43, had admitted she was accidentally driving on the wrong side of the road when she struck Harry Dunn on Aug. 27, 2019, near an Air Force base utilized by the United States military.
Sacoolas returned to the U.S. a few weeks after the deadly crash, despite telling U.K. authorities she was not planning to leave the country.
She was eventually charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but confirmed she wouldn't return to face court proceedings.
While the U.K. requested Sacoolas be extradited, the U.S. rejected the request.
Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, even traveled to Washington, D.C., meeting with President Donald Trump and asking that he intervene so that they could seek justice for their son. The president did not get involved.
Watch: Dunn family 'disappointed' after loosing her High Court case
RELATED: Wife of U.S. Diplomat Charged in Death of U.K. Teen After Fleeing Country and Claiming Immunity
He did, however, try to arrange a meeting at the White House between the grieving parents and the woman whose actions killed their son — a move that stunned them.
The meeting did not occur.
“To be thrown into a room together with no prior warning, that’s not good for [Sacoolas'] mental health, and it’s certainly not good for ours,” Dunn’s mother told CBS This Morning.
Dunn's parents took their case to court, arguing in legal filings that the U.K. government erroneously decided Sacoolas was protected by diplomatic immunity. They further alleged British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab kowtowed to the U.S. government and that the U.K. Foreign Office misled investigators about their discussions with Sacoolas.
But on Tuesday, the court ruled against the late teen's parents.
"Our conclusion is that Mrs Sacoolas enjoyed immunity from U.K. criminal jurisdiction at the time of Harry's death," reads the judges' decision. "We do not come to this conclusion with any enthusiasm for the result, but it is compelled by the operation of the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations."
This summer, the U.S. and the U.K. revised their diplomatic immunity rules, making it more difficult for officials' family members to evade criminal prosecution.
Watched: Harry Dunn’s mother urges Joe Biden to ‘reconsider US position’ on suspect
Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road when the crash occurred at around 8:30 p.m. in Northamptonshire. Her black Volvo XC90 struck Dunn's Kawasaki motorcycle.
Dunn was rushed to the hospital, where he died moments later.
Speaking to the Guardian afterwards, Charlotte Charles said she was "obviously" disappointed with the court's ruling.
"The Government and Mrs. Sacoolas need to understand that this court ruling is just a blip along the way," she said outside the court. "I promised my boy I would get him justice and that is just what we are going to do. No one is going to stand in our way."
PEOPLE has never been able to get Sacoolas to comment on the crash.
