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The mother of Harry Dunn has spoken of her relief at fulfilling a promise to see justice delivered to her sons’s killer.
An Old Bailey judge handed US citizen Anne Sacoolas an eight-month suspended prison sentence, for causing the 19-year-old’s death by careless driving, at the Old Bailey on Thursday.
From left: Harry Dunn’s stepfather Bruce Charles, mother Charlotte Charles, family spokesman Radd Seiger and father Tim Dunn speak to media after the sentencing of Anne Sacoolas at the Old Bailey
(Getty)
Speaking outside court after the sentencing, Charlotte Charles, mother of Harry, said: “Job done, promise complete. Properly, properly complete now.
“Anne Sacoolas now has a criminal record for the rest of her life. That was something she never thought she’d see. The US government never thought she’d see and we worked tirelessly and relentlessly to make sure she still had to do what you and I would have had to have done.”
“Yep, Harry, we’ve done it. We would have been happy with anything ... for us, it was just about doing the right thing.”
Ms Charles called Sacoolas a “huge coward” for declining to travel to Britain for the sentencing.
With her voice breaking, she said: “She should have been there. We would have been. I think it’s despicable that she didn’t come over on the judge’s orders. Huge, huge coward.”
Harry Dunn was killed when Anne Sacoolas was driving her Volvo on the wrong side of the road outside American military base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019
(PA Media)
She said the family of the teenager had the option to leave justice hanging and choose not to pursue the case.
“We weren’t cowards,” she continued. “We didn’t back down because we have values. Maybe she doesn’t.”
Mr Dunn was killed when Sacoolas drove her Volvo on the wrong side of the road outside US military base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August 2019.
Court artist drawing of US citizen Anne Sacoolas (right)
(PA Wire)
Appearing in court before the sentencing, Ms Charles wept as she said: “Harry just disappeared out of my life that night, shattering my existence forever.
“His passing haunts me every minute of every day and I’m not sure how I’m ever going to get over it.
“I made a promise to Harry in the hospital that we would get him justice and a mother never breaks a promise to her son.”
In a statement after Sacoolas‘s sentencing hearing, Max Hill KC, Director of Public Prosecutions, said: “We have today seen the end of the journey to secure justice for the family of Harry Dunn.
“Many thought we’d never get to this point - but I hope it sends a clear message that we are steadfast in our commitment to bring people to justice.
“Despite the challenges that arose as the case progressed, our expert prosecutors were able to secure a guilty plea and Sacoolas has now been sentenced for causing the death of Harry Dunn.
“Harry Dunn’s family has shown immense strength and bravery throughout the long road to get to this point in the proceedings. Having met them, I know that their determination to secure justice has never wavered.
“Neither has ours.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
