Parents of British teen killed in crash by U.S. driver seeks extradition help from Biden

Stung by a British High Court ruling confirming diplomatic immunity for an American woman who allegedly killed their teenaged son in a traffic accident, two British parents say they will appeal to a Joe Biden administration to return the woman for trial in the U.K. 

"Mr. Biden will soon be in power and we are all hoping that he will put an end to all this for us, and show that the U.S. government does have a better side and we hope to engage with him soon to discuss our case," said the dead boy's mother, Charlotte Charles, in a Tuesday statement following the verdict.

The appeal to Biden from teenager Harry Dunn's family comes after a High Court ruled that Anne Sacoolas, an American, had diplomatic immunity on Aug. 27, 2019, when her car collided with a motorcycle being driven by 19-year-old Harry Dunn. The teen survived the immediate impact, but died at a hospital. 

When the collision occurred, Sacoolas allegedly was driving on the wrong side of the road outside the Royal Air Force Croughton base in Northamptonshire, where her husband, Jonathan, worked as a civilian.

Anne Sacoolas reportedly spoke to local police following the accident, but soon left England for the United States, claiming diplomatic immunity.

After Sacoolas was home in the U.S., British authorities charged her with causing death by dangerous driving. She did not voluntarily return to face charges, and the United States in January 2020 denied an extradition request.

Harry Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, have in the ensuing months campaigned to compel Anne Sacoolas to return to the U.K.

The case is fraught with intrigue surrounding allegations that Jonathan Sacoolas — and possibly Anne herself — are being protected by American and British authorities because they work for U.S. intelligence.

Both Anne and Jonathan Sacoolas are CIA officers, the Dunn family lawyer, Radd Seiger, wrote in May on Medium.

And, although the CIA did not respond to questions about the Sacoolases, a National Security Agency spokesman last year said that Jonathan Sacoolas does not work for the NSA.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in January addressed a question about whether the U.S. would trade Anne Sacoolas for Britain's Prince Andrew, whom the U.S. wanted to talk to regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case.

"I am confident each of these cases will be resolved on their relative merits," Pompeo said while appearing alongside British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. "It's how each of our two systems operate."

In their efforts to bring Anne Sacoolas back to the U.K., the Dunn family in October 2019 met with President Donald Trump in the White House, where they rejected an offer to speak in person with the American woman.

The family since then has focused its efforts on British courts, seeking a declaration that Anne Sacoolas — suspected intelligence ties notwithstanding — was not covered by diplomatic immunity.

The Nov. 24 ruling from the High Court scuttled the family's immediate hopes, but left them looking toward a new administration, with Antony Blinken leading the State Department.

"With @JoeBiden's nomination of @ABlinken as Secretary of State, both being decent people thru and thru who believe in human rights and the importance of international alliances, #HarryDunn's parents are more hopeful than ever that the current denial of justice will be reversed," Seiger tweeted Tuesday.

Pending a new U.S. presidential administration, the family will continue its efforts in the United Kingdom, Seiger said.

"This judgment is simply wrong, and we believe this court has not grasped the issues in the case, which are completely novel and untested," Seiger said in a statement. "The parents are immediately appealing against this judgment on strong legal advice, and will take their case to the highest court in the land for a definitive ruling, which this one from the lower court is not."

A representative for Anne Sacoolas could not immediately be reached for comment.