Harry Dunn parents 'speak for' Northamptonshire teenager in United States damages claim against Anne Sacoolas
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Harry Dunn's parents 'spoke for' the Northamptonshire teenager as they gave evidence in their damages claim against his alleged killer in the United States yesterday (Thursday, July 1).
Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn gave legal testimony under oath during their depositions in a Virginia court in their case against Anne Sacoolas.
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Hide Ad"Although it has been an arduous day and a difficult trip, right smack in the middle of the pandemic, the reality is that it is easy for us to come to the States and for us to talk about our son Harry and the impact his loss has had on all of us," she said.
"We are enduring life, not living it, but we will do everything in our power to get justice for our boy and for ourselves.
"He deserves that. We deserve that, and we will not stop until we have achieved justice in both the civil and criminal cases.
"I really think Harry would have been proud of us today. We stood up and spoke for him as he cannot speak for himself now."
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Hide AdHarry, 19, from Charlton, was killed after his motorcycle was involved in a crash with Sacoolas' car which was on the wrong side of the road outside Croughton in August, 2019.
The driver controversially claimed diplomatic immunity as her husband Jonathan was working for the US government at RAF Croughton and left the country.
She has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving but the US State Department has repeatedly refused to extradite her.
Harry's family are suing Sacoolas and her husband for damages in the Alexandria District Court in the US state of Virginia, which previously heard the pair's work in intelligence was a factor in them leaving Britain.
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Hide AdThe parents' depositions will form part of the 'discovery' process in the family's claim, in which correspondence and documentation relevant to the case will be handed over ahead of a trial at the end of the year.
Sacoolas must give legal testimony by the end of August - the court previously heard heard the couple's intelligence work was a factor in their departure from the UK for 'security reasons'.
Mr Dunn said: "I am really proud of Charlotte and myself for what we have achieved today.
"The build-up to coming on this trip for the depositions has been so stressful for all of our family and I am really pleased we are through that now and can now look forward to getting back home.
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Hide Ad"Harry was everything to me. I cannot bear to be without him. But I know I have to. He is not coming back.
"But we can honour his life by doing what we are doing and he is going to leave a huge legacy behind him with everything our campaign has achieved.
"This trip could not have gone any better and I feel we have taken another giant step towards getting justice in the civil claim."