Home Office officially announce review into UK Government response to Harry Dunn's death
The 19 year old was killed outside Northamptonshire's RAF Croughton in 2019 by US woman driving on the wrong side of the road.
The Foreign Secretary David Lammy has today officially announced the awaited review into the UK Government's response to the death of Harry Dunn.
Harry Dunn was tragically killed in a road traffic collision in August 2019. The 19 year old was knocked off his motorbike by a US woman, Anne Sacoolas, driving on the wrong side of the road.
She fled the country but eventually pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey, via a videolink, in October 2022, to causing his death by careless driving.
The independent review, led by Dame Anne Owers, will focus on Government actions in months following the tragedy in 2019, and look at support offered to UK citizens in comparable situations.
She will examine actions taken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in support of the family of Harry Dunn in the period between 27 August and the end of December in 2019.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:
"I have the deepest respect for the resolve Harry’s family have shown since his tragic death and in launching this independent review, we are honouring the commitments we have made to them.
"I am confident the review into how the case was handled by the previous government has the remit required to properly address the family’s concerns and to ensure lessons are learned.
"Having worked previously with Dame Anne Owers on the Lammy Review in 2017, I don’t believe anyone is better qualified to undertake this important piece of work.”
The mother of Harry Dunn, Charlotte Charles, said:
"We welcome today’s formal announcement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that a full review into the handling of Harry’s case will now take place.
"I want to pay particular tribute to the Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Ever since we met him in his role as Shadow Foreign Secretary back in January 2023, he has shown us nothing but compassion and leadership. He listened to us carefully and committed to undertaking this review once he was in a position to do so. True to his word, he has now delivered on that promise. My family and Team Harry are incredibly grateful to him for doing the right thing.
"We now look forward to working with Dame Anne Owers and doing all we can to support her in this important task. It is our sincere hope that her work will help ensure that no other family is ever treated in the way that ours was. This review is yet another step in our long journey towards ensuring that Harry’s loss was not in vain and that the World is a better and safer place.”
Having promised to undertake a review while sitting as an opposition MP, David Lammy has met twice with family members since becoming Foreign Secretary and committed the Government to learning lessons from the tragedy.
Dame Anne Owers DBE said:
"I believe it is crucially important that public authorities are ready to learn lessons from difficult and traumatic events, so they can reflect on and improve the way they work and communicate. This is something that I have been committed to in all the roles I have held.
"I am pleased to have been asked by the Foreign Secretary to carry out this work in the context of the tragic death of Harry Dunn, and to identify any lessons for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. I very much hope that this will provide some assurance to Harry’s family.”
The family spokesperson Radd Seiger tells us all they want is an open look into what went wrong.
"As painful as this exercise is going to be for them (the family) and as embarrassing as it's going to be, not for this government, but for the previous government, it has to be brought out into the open because that's the only way you get to learn."
Having not initially stipulated that the reviews finding would be published, the Home Office have now said the final report of the Independent Review will be published in full, subject only to redactions relating to national security or personal information.