News / Foreign Policy

Harry Dunn case: Suspect Anne Sacoolas ‘distracted’ by her phone

Monday, 09 August 2021 4:01 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 09 August 2021 4:01 PM ]

Harry's parents Charlotte Charles (L) and Tim Dunn (R) are seeking damages from their son's suspected killer Anne Sacoolas through the American court system

In the latest development in the case of tragic teenager Harry Dunn, a court in Virginia (USA) has heard evidence that the suspect in Harry’s death may have been “distracted by her mobile phone” moments before the crash.

Court documents submitted by Harry’s parents claim suspect Anne Sacoolas has been “evasive, non-responsive and inconsistent” about her phone usage on the day of the fatal crash on August 27, 2019.

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Harry Dunn

Sacoolas – who is believed to be a CIA officer – crashed into Harry’s motorbike moments after she left RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, where her husband Jonathan worked for a US intelligence agency.

Harry Dunn case: Anne Sacoolas intelligence role was hidden from FCO

In the latest development in the Harry Dunn case it has emerged in court that the US State Department actively deceived the UK FCO of Anne Sacoolas

At the time of the crash Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road. Despite being charged by the Crown Prosecution Service with causing death by dangerous driving, Sacoolas refuses to return to the UK to face the British criminal justice system.

The latest court documents were submitted by the Dunn family’s representatives in opposition to a motion by US government lawyers to suppress the employment details of suspect Sacoolas on national security grounds.

Harry Dunn case: US attempts to suppress details of Anne Sacoolas’ job

The US Government has intervened in a court case to prevent any disclosure of details relating to the employment status of intelligence officer Anne Sacoolas.

The documents state no calls or texts were found on Sacoolas’ SIM card on the day of the crash, but by stark contrast call records were found for the day before and day after.

The documents claim this "raises the possibility that Ms Sacoolas was distracted by her mobile telephone... and establishes that relevant phone data was deleted".

If Sacoolas is found to have deleted mobile phone data it could intensify the aggravating features of her offense as it proves she was using her phone when she crashed into Harry’s motorbike.

Currently under the British criminal justice system the offense of causing death by dangerous driving can attract a custodial sentence of up to 14 years.