‘My heart is broken knowing Harry was dying in agony in a ditch’: Harry Dunn’s parents make heartrending tribute to their son – as they slam US diplomat killer’s decision NOT to attend inquest
Harry Dunn’s parents spoke of their ‘nightmare’ as they paid an emotional tribute to their son at his inquest.
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn gave pen portraits during proceedings at Sessions House in Northampton on Monday, as both tearfully recalled their memories of the teenage motorcyclist.
Harry, 19, was killed in August 2019 when US government employee Anne Sacoolas’s car collided with his bike while she was driving on the wrong side of the road outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
Diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf by the US State Department and she was able to leave the country shortly after the crash.
Mrs Charles told the court she believes her son should ‘still be alive today’, and thinking about his final moments ‘continues to shatter the already broken heart I already hold’.
She also revealed she is ‘unspeakably hurt’ after her son’s killer refused to give live evidence to his inquest.
Harry Dunn’s parents have made a heartrending tribute to their son while slamming his US diplomat killer’s decision not to attend the inquest
The touching tribute at the inquest in Northamptonshire came after killer Anne Pember’s decision to not attend via video-link – despite being invited to by the coroner. Pictured: Sacoolas appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink previously
Harry’s mother Charlotte Charles told the coroner ‘my heart is as broken as it is ever going to get knowing that Harry was dying in agony in the ditch’. Pictured: Harry’s mother and his twin brother Niall Dunn embrace at his second funeral in March 2024
Mr Dunn also paid tribute to Harry, saying: ‘The saddest thing is that the world is a lesser place without him.’
Delivering her pen portrait, Mrs Charles said: ‘Harry was vibrant, caring, funny and so terribly protective of myself and the rest of my family. He loved winding people up for a giggle. He was sensitive… outspoken, brutally honest, decisive and spontaneous
‘He was ambitious, wanted to go places in life and to leave his mark. He was quick-witted and very intelligent.’
After taking a moment to compose herself, Mrs Charles tearfully continued: ‘He gave the biggest bear hugs – I can still feel them when I close my eyes and shut everything else out.
‘I have tried to preserve as much as I could of our life with Harry. His spare winter bike jacket still hangs on his bedroom door, having been moved from where he left it on our kitchen table when justice was done.
‘This is when I gave it a new home on his bedroom door and it hangs there really proudly. His toothbrush is still in the bathroom, as is his hair wax – just where he left them.’
Mrs Charles went on: ‘As a family, we have obviously been through a lot since Harry died and had one hell of a fight on our hands to survive.
‘However, we have learned that Harry was not the first to die in these circumstances, and sadly he has not been the last.
‘We are deeply concerned that the issue of road safety outside US bases may have been neglected by both governments and I would like the coroner to inquire into why that is.
‘I feel that Harry should still be alive today.’
Addressing how Harry’s death had affected her, Mrs Charles said: ‘My heart is as broken as it is ever going to get knowing that Harry was dying in agony in the ditch on the side of the road without professional help to treat and comfort him for such a long time.
‘It continues to shatter the already broken heart I already hold.
Anne Sacoolas (pictured) was driving the car that killed Mr Dunn. She was then a member of the US Intelligence Community and the wife of a CIA operative
The Dunn family gave fresh tributes to their beloved family member today. Pictured: Harry’s mother and stepfather, Charlotte Charles and Bruce Charles at court on September 29, 2022
Drive on left arrows on the road outside RAF Croughton on October 2019
‘It haunts me every night before I go to bed. I did not make it to the hospital in time to comfort Harry and say goodbye to him. He had passed moments before we arrived.
‘That guilt as his mum will haunt me forever and leaving him at the hospital that night was the worst thing I ever had to do. It was my job as his mother to look after him and I couldn’t do it.
‘Our lives were turned upside down when Harry died. I dream of him often and those dreams are very vivid.
‘He has left such a big hole in our hearts and our lives and we are just totally broken.
Harry Dunn, 19, died in a motorbike crash outside the RAF Croughton Airforce base in Northamptonshire on August 27, 2019
US government employee Anne Sacoolas was invited to attend remotely, but it has been revealed she will have her evidence read to the court. Pictured: Sacoolas appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, via videolink previously
‘More than anything else, we miss him and mourn the future he’s lost and the family he could have gone on to have.
‘Being here at Harry’s inquest is also incredibly painful, but we hope it will provide us with some answers, however painful they are to hear.’
Emotionally finishing her tribute, Mrs Charles said: ‘Harry loved his family. Harry loved his friends. Harry had so much more to give on this Earth and is desperately missed by all.’
Delivering his own pen portrait of his son, Mr Dunn said: ‘After officially identifying his body with the police, we left the hospital totally numb – not knowing that the real hell was about to start.
‘No more Harry, no more hearing him laugh, no more of his cheeky grin, no more days at the football.
‘When I think back to the night he died it seems unreal, almost like a nightmare.’
He continued: ‘It felt like I was looking down from above, surveying what was happening but unable to say or change anything.
‘I couldn’t believe what was in front of my eyes.
‘I would have done anything that night to change the outcome for Harry.
Harry’s family (left to right): Charlotte Charles (mother), Bruce Charles (stepfather), Tim Dunn (father) and Tracey Dunn (stepmother) campaigned for justice over their son’s death
‘He would have given so much love, joy and happiness.
‘The saddest thing is that the world is a lesser place without him.’
The touching tributes came after Harry’s parents said they were ‘shocked and upset’ after finding out just days before the inquest that their son’s killer would not be giving live evidence.
Northamptonshire coroner Anne Pember issued a request to US government employee Anne Sacoolas last year in which she invited her to attend remotely today.
But the proposed witness list for the inquest, seen by the PA news agency, showed Sacoolas will have her evidence read to the court.
The Dunn family’s spokesman Radd Seiger said the 19-year-old’s parents were informed about the proposed plan on Thursday, describing the situation as ‘yet another kick to the stomach’.
Sacoolas’s lawyer, Ben Cooper KC, told a pre-inquest review hearing in November that the US citizen was ‘keen to assist the inquest’.
According to the proposed witness list, Sacoolas’s evidence is set to include a ‘significant statement’ from her, sections of her police interview in October 2019 and her witness statement penned in December last year.
Sacoolas was driving a Volvo on the wrong side of the road outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27 2019 before she crashed into the teenager’s bike.
The US State Department asserted diplomatic immunity on behalf of Sacoolas and she was able to leave the UK 19 days after the fatal collision.
The 45-year-old appeared before a High Court judge at the Old Bailey via video-link in December 2022, where she pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
Sacoolas was advised against attending her sentencing hearing by her employer, which prompted the family to say they were ‘horrified’ that the US Government was ‘actively interfering in our criminal justice system’.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb handed Sacoolas an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
The Dunn family took their four-year campaign for justice to the US after the teenager’s death, which even led to a meeting with then-president Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington DC.
Reacting to the current plans for Sacoolas’s evidence, Mr Seiger told PA: ‘The parents are shocked and upset.
‘They have understood since last November from her own lawyer that she would be giving live evidence which would have helped the family better understand what happened during after the crash that killed Harry.
At a hearing in October 2022, US citizen Anne Sacoolas pleaded guilty, via video-link from the United States, to causing Harry Dunn’s death by careless driving
‘This news comes totally out of the blue and they are still trying to process it and what effect it will have on their rights at the inquest but it appears to be yet another kick to the stomach of these totally innocent good people who have done nothing wrong and do not deserve this.
‘We do not know why this decision was made or who made it but very much hope that there is a last minute change of heart on Mrs Sacoolas’ part and for once that she does the right thing.
‘It is the very least she can do.’
Questioned on what the Dunn family’s hopes were for the inquest, Mr Seiger said: ‘The parents are hoping to learn what happened to Harry that night and what were the circumstances that led to Harry’s death – including what, if anything, was done to address road safety outside US bases over the decades since the Americans based themselves in the UK.
‘We know many were killed or seriously injured before Harry and want to know what risk assessments were undertaken to address the problem.
‘We also know that the ambulance was late to Harry that night in August 2019 and the parents want to work with the coroner and the NHS to see what can be done about the crisis that we all potentially face in not getting an ambulance when we most need it.
‘We have nothing but praise for the medical team themselves that fought so bravely to save Harry’s life.’
The inquest, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, is due to last for four days.
