Mother of Harry Dunn lashes out at 'unforgivable' decision by US to secretly fly American diplomat out of UK after being found with child abuse images

Harry Dunn's mother has lashed out at the 'unforgivable' decision by US authorities to secretly fly an American diplomat out of the UK after being found with child abuse images. British police were not informed before US officials reportedly raided the diplomat's London flat last month, seizing him and taking him to an American airbase for removal.US personnel have no powers of arrest in Britain and there was no formal request for the man to be extradited.In 2019, Charlotte Charles's teenage son Harry was riding his motorcycle when he was killed by US citizen Anne Sacoolas before she used diplomatic immunity to flee Britain and escape justice. On Monday, Harry's mother said the latest reports have 'all the hallmarks' of her son's case.She said: 'I'm disgusted once again by the US government. This has all the hallmarks of Harry's case all over it and it is unforgivable.'They wouldn't like other countries coming to Washington DC to do this – why on earth do they think they can get away with it here?'I hope the public speak up again like they did for us for Harry and that this man is extradited back here to the UK where he belongs to face justice.' Harry Dunn was riding his motorcycle when he was killed by US citizen Anne Sacoolas before she used diplomatic immunity to flee Britain and escape justice His mother Charlotte Charles, pictured with Harry's father Tim, said she is 'disgusted' by the 'unforgivable' decision to fly an American diplomat out of the UK after he was allegedly found with child abuse images Sacoolas eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving at a virtual High Court hearing in October 2022 and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for a year.Ministers are understood to be in contact with the US embassy over the latest incident, which could further strain relations between London and Washington.Adviser and spokesman for the Dunn family, Radd Seiger, described the reports as 'profoundly disturbing'.He said: 'There are international rules governing these situations. There are diplomatic channels, there are mutual legal assistance arrangements, there is a UK-US extradition treaty.'If America wanted this individual in the United States to face American justice, there were lawful ways of achieving that. They appear to have thrown all of that out of the window.'He added: 'The British Government must now stand up for British law, British sovereignty and the victims of any alleged crimes committed here.'It must do everything lawfully available to ensure that justice is not simply flown 4,000 miles away because that is what the United States has decided it wants.'The United States cannot be left to behave like a thug on the international playing field.' Anne Sacoolas (pictured) insisted she was a 'safe driver' and was driving 'like an American' on the day she careered into Harry's oncoming motorbike Harry was killed outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27, 2019A Government spokesman declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing US investigation, but said Britain expects all foreign diplomats to obey the law while in the UK 'in the same way we expect all UK diplomats to do so when posted overseas'.A spokesman for the US embassy said it was 'aware of allegations' about one of their staff, and expected 'all personnel to adhere to the highest standards of conduct'.The Metropolitan Police said the force is continuing to liaise with US authorities about the case.The former US serviceman, who was working at the American Embassy in Nine Elms, south London, was allegedly taken from his flat in Putney after a dawn raid on August 25.Sources claim US officials discovered child abuse images at the property after they launched an investigation into the man's brother, who is based in America and is accused of sending abusive material to the diplomat.But British authorities were said to have been informed only after he had been flown out.The claims have prompted furious questions over whether US officials bypassed British criminal justice procedures and have led to meetings involving senior Metropolitan Police figures and ministers.A source told The Sun: 'They should have told Scotland Yard when they carried out the raid, and certainly when they found material.'Instead we think they have taken him to a US airbase and flown him 4,000-plus miles to where his brother was being investigated. We think it was a dawn raid before they then took him to the base in a US military convoy.'The man may well face justice in the US but he should be before the courts here.'The Metropolitan Police confirmed that American authorities made them aware of the investigation only on August 25 – the day of the alleged raid.The force said: 'On August 25, US authorities made us aware of an investigation they are conducting into suspected offences in London relating to indecent images of children. We continue to liaise with them regarding this matter.'The diplomatic row comes amid reports that US soldiers stationed in the UK are committing horrific crimes while avoiding British justice – and are instead facing less serious charges in military courts. According to a Guardian investigation in July, UK law enforcement will be involved where US service personnel commit crimes while off duty but local police often cede authority to the US military. As the definitions of rape are different in the US and UK, it means suspects are often charged with sexual assault instead – meaning they will likely receive a more lenient sentence. In one case, US fighter pilot Captain Jacob Wulfson stood accused by prosecutors of drugging and strangling his victim during a date in his flat in December 2023. He then allegedly penetrated her vagina with his penis without consent. Wulfson was charged with sexual assault and 'aggravated sexual contact' – which does not appear in UK law. He was found not guilty of sexual assault but guilty of strangulation by a panel of all-male US personnel and was sentenced to six months in confinement at a corrections facility.