Harry Dunn's mother hopeful Joe Biden will 'do the right thing'

8 November 2020, 20:54 | Updated: 8 November 2020, 20:55

Harry Dunn's mother continues her fight to extradite Anne Sacoolas to the UK for trial. Picture: LBC

By Ewan Quayle

The mother of Harry Dunn has expressed renewed hope that US President-elect Joe Biden will "do the right thing" to help secure justice.

Following a collision which killed her son near the US intelligence base RAF Croughton in August 2019, Charlotte Charles has campaigned to bring suspect American Anne Sacoolas back to the UK to face trial.

Ms Sacoolas, 43, a former CIA agent who was later confirmed to be involved in the crash, claimed diplomatic immunity after the incident.

Since then, the US Government has refused to extradite her after she was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December 2019.

In an interview with LBC, Ms Charles called on Joe Biden to "get on the same page as an awful lot of people in the US" and allow a UK trial to go ahead with Ms Sacoolas present.

In a bid to convince the President-elect to allow the extradition, she cited a YouGov poll from earlier this year which shows almost two-thirds (64%) of the US public are supportive of extraditing the suspect - with only 9% opposing the idea.

"They certainly felt and I'm sure they do still feel that she should do the right thing and come back to the UK to face our justice system," Ms Charles said.

"I would hope that Mr Biden would do what most of his people would want him to do and give us our justice."

Mr Dunn's mother labelled how she had been treated by authorities as "barbaric" and expressed hope that things would change with a President who has experienced suffering and injustice in his life.

Mr Biden's first wife Neilia and 13-month-old daughter Naomi were killed in a crash a week before Christmas in 1972.

"Although we have ensured it won't happen to another family again, we still need our justice - we deserve that and Harry deserves that."

In September, Ms Charles was left "totally confused" when sources close to Ms Sacoolas said she had always been interested in, and remains willing to discuss, a virtual trial but has not been approached by the UK Attorney General's office.