Harry Dunn crash: Police investigate new footage of car driving on wrong side of road near US base

Northamptonshire chief constable demands urgent meeting with commander of RAF Croughton

Samuel Osborne
Saturday 18 January 2020 18:39 GMT
Police probing footage of vehicle near Harry Dunn RAF base

Police are investigating footage of a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road near an RAF base where Harry Dunn was killed last year.

The video showing a near miss close to RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire emerged as officers revealed details of a separate crash in which a police vehicle was struck by a car being driven on the wrong side of the road in October.

The clip, reported to Northamptonshire Police on Saturday, shows a blue BMW having to brake sharply to avoid a crash on a country road near the base.

The driver of the car which hit 19-year-old Dunn, Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence official, claimed diplomatic immunity and returned to the US after the fatal smash.

She is believed to have been driving on the wrong side of the road and has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley has demanded an urgent meeting with the commander of the US base.

He said: ”I do not underestimate how much of a concerning incident this was and how much worse it could have been, especially considering the circumstances in which Harry Dunn tragically died.

“This is compounded by the fact that yesterday, myself and police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) Stephen Mold were made aware of another incident in Northampton in which a police vehicle was struck in early October by a vehicle also driving on the wrong side of the road. Thankfully there were no injuries.

“I want to be absolutely clear on the fact that these incidents just cannot keep happening. We know all too well in the case of young Harry just how devastating they can be.

“Therefore the PFCC and I have requested an urgent meeting with the base commander at RAF Croughton to discuss safety on the roads around the base and I expect this meeting to take place next week.”

Ms Sacoolas has refused to return to the UK to face justice. The US State Department has called a UK extradition request for her “highly inappropriate”.

Earlier this week, Dunn’s parents claimed Boris Johnson had “no wish or intention” to meet with them.

The pair said that despite “repeated assurances to the contrary”, the prime minister had not spoken with them in person after their son’s death.

“For all his multiple faults, even US president Donald Trump took the time and trouble to meet with Harry’s parents and extend his condolences personally,” the family’s lawyer said.

The Independent has attempted to contact the Ministry of Defence for comment.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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