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The coroner in the inquest into the death of Harry Dunn has recommended better driver training for Americans at the RAF base near where the 19-year-old was killed.

Mr Dunn was hit by a Volvo driven by Anne Sacoolas in August 2019, after she drove on the wrong side of the B4031 in Northamptonshire while he was riding a motorbike.

He died at hospital the same day.

The coroner concluded Mr Dunn died as a result of a road traffic collision and issued three prevention of future death notices in a bid to stop similar tragedies occurring.

Analysis: Harry’s family still have questions over crash – but killer has remained in the shadows

Two prevention of death notices were sent to the UK’s Department of Health over the drugs paramedics carry and overworked ambulance services.

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Sky News confronts Anne Sacoolas in 2022

A third notice was issued to the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence around driver training at RAF Croughton.

Sacoolas, a US government employee, had been based at the RAF station – which is also used by US forces – at the time the crash happened.

Northamptonshire coroner Anne Pember criticised the US government for a lack of training provided to Sacoolas before the crash.

Harry Dunn (L) and his brother Niall, with their stepfather Bruce Charles. Pic: PA
Image:
Harry Dunn (L) and his brother Niall, with their stepfather Bruce Charles. Pic: PA

Harry Dunn’s family responds

Neither Sacoolas nor representatives from the US embassy attended the inquest – prompting the Dunn family spokesperson Radd Seiger to say the US government’s position was that “lives of UK citizens like Harry ultimately do not matter”.

Speaking after the inquest, he said: “It was not enough for them to kill Harry. It wasn’t enough for them to then kick Harry’s family in their darkest hour and seek to deny and delay the justice that they were entitled to.

“As we have all seen this week their attitude and approach to keeping their British hosts safe has been laid bare and they have positively obstructed the coroner’s inquiry and deprived the family of the answers they were entitled to as to why no one has ever addressed the issue of safety of UK citizens.”

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Harry Dunn’s family with spokesman Radd Seiger (centre)

Tim Dunn
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Harry Dunn’s dad, Tim, became emotional outside the inquest

Mr Seiger also said Labour, if they get into power, has promised the family a public inquiry into how Sacoolas was able to leave the country with diplomatic immunity after causing Harry’s death.

“We won’t let [the US government] get away with it and we look forward to working with the next government to establish this public inquiry,” he said.

“We were all horrified as a nation to see how the US government treated Harry’s family. This must never happen again.

“The American national anthem ends ‘land of the free, home of the brave’. They haven’t demonstrated an ounce of bravery at all preferring to run, hide and obstruct.”

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Dunn family ‘totally disgusted’

Harry’s mother, Charlotte Charles, said she was “totally disgusted” that Sacoolas and US embassy representatives did not attend the inquest.

“I’ve think they’ve further disrespected Harry and the future he could have had,” she said, adding she feels they have shown “no regard” for her late son or family.

“We had to fight for three and a half years to even get to the Old Bailey, to get our form of justice done,” she said. “And then to have to wait another 18 months after that for our inquest, is pretty much unheard of.

“We’re tired, we’re exhausted and unfortunately, we are still angry with the US government for making us wait this long.”

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Anne Sacoolas’s witness statements

Evidence and two witness statements from Sacoolas were read out during the inquest after the US government employee rejected the coroner’s invitation to attend in person.

In one of the statements Sacoolas apologised for the “tragic mistake” she made on the day of the crash and said it was something that would live with her “every single day for the rest of my life”.

Harry Dunn’s family still have questions over fatal crash


Lisa Dowd - Midlands correspondent

Lisa Dowd

Midlands correspondent

@LisaSkyNews

It was October 2019. I had been made aware of a terrible crash which had killed a young motorcyclist called Harry Dunn a few months earlier.

The tip-off was Harry’s family were sure the person responsible worked for the US secret services, and she had left the country.

I was even given a name: Anne Sacoolas.

It was an unusual name. That night I did a search, and to my surprise she appeared on Facebook.

What spy would be on social media, I thought?

Read more

She said that when she turned out of RAF Croughton, taking a left turn, she instinctively moved to the right side of the road as she was “accustomed to driving in the US”.

She also told Northamptonshire Police in a voluntary interview two months after the crash that she was a “safe driver” but “drove like an American and drove on the American side of the road”.

The family spokesman said bases like this are a threat to Britain
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Harry was killed near the RAF Croughton base

The 45-year-old said she had not received any training on driving on UK roads after arriving in the country and after the crash “hysterically flagged down a motorist” and “begged her to get help”.

“There is not a single day that goes by that Harry is not on my mind, and I am deeply sorry for the pain that I have caused,” Sacoolas said in the statement.

Reacting to the statements, Mr Seiger said: “We have heard most of that before.

“Why on earth is Sacoolas not in court to answer the court’s and the family’s questions?”

Sacoolas left Britain 19 days after the crash after the US Department of State asserted diplomatic immunity on her behalf.

In December 2022, after a protracted battle for justice by the family, she appeared before a High Court judge at the Old Bailey via video link from the US, when she pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

Sacoolas was advised against attending her sentencing hearing by the state department, which prompted the Dunn family to say they were “horrified” the American government was “actively interfering in our criminal justice system”.

She was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for a year.

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Harry Dunn’s twin’s tribute

The inquest also heard from Mr Dunn’s twin brother Niall who referred to him as “an amazing person” who helped him when he found life hard-going.

In a video played to the inquest, he said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better brother, but beyond that, just a better person to just be forced to know”.

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Suspended surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge named

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Suspended surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge named

The suspended surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has been named as paediatric consultant Kuldeep Stohr.

Eight hundred patients operated on by Ms Stohr are having their cases urgently re-examined, after an external review found nine children whose care fell below expected standards.

The initial review was ordered after concerns were raised by her colleagues.

Sky News has seen a copy of the interim report which details several issues relating to complex hip surgeries performed by the surgeon.

One of the parents whose child was identified in the review showed us a recent letter from the hospital which reported “problems with both judgement and technique” in her child’s surgery.

Ms Stohr, who has been suspended since the end of January, said in a statement: “I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients.

“I am co-operating fully with the trust investigation and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Tammy Harrison
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Tammy Harrison: ‘It was hell’

Left in agonising pain

Tammy Harrison, 12, has cerebral palsy and had surgeries carried out by Ms Stohr. Her operations didn’t work, leaving her in agonising pain.

She said: “My first one was just like trauma. I couldn’t get out of bed for eight weeks. I was either stuck in bed or stuck on the sofa. It was hell.”

Her mum, Lynn, told Sky News: “There is nothing that can put Tammy back to where she was now and that’s the sad thing.

“If I could just click my fingers and have the child back that I had I would do it with a blink of an eye.”

Lynn Harrison
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Ms Stohr operated on Lynn Harrison’s daughter

So far, there’s been no confirmation of any wrongdoing in Tammy’s care.

But her family have a meeting at the hospital this week to find out more.

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The trust has asked a panel of specialist clinicians to review all the planned operations carried out by Ms Stohr at Addenbrooke’s. One hundred emergency trauma cases will also be looked at.

Addenbrooke’s is a major regional trauma centre and treats serious emergency patients from all over the region.

One clinician at the hospital told Sky News that the review of so many patients was “creating a lot of extra work”, which was “slowing things down” for other patients awaiting treatment.

Addenbrooke's Hospital. File pic: PA
Image:
Addenbrooke’s Hospital. File pic: PA

At least one extra locum consultant has been helping the team, as they work through the caseload.

Trust apologises

Sky News has been told Cambridge University Hospitals Trust had wanted to identify Ms Stohr before but had been threatened with a legal injunction.

The trust has apologised unreservedly to families and patients. But what’s troubling many is the fact concerns were raised about Ms Stohr a decade ago.

Chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, Roland Sinker, has set up another review to examine whether opportunities were missed, and action could have been taken sooner.

The Department of Health described the ongoing situation as “incredibly concerning.”

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Starmer promises ‘bold changes’ to rules over electric cars in wake of Trump’s tariffs

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Starmer promises 'bold changes' to rules over electric cars in wake of Trump's tariffs

Sir Keir Starmer promised “bold changes” as he announced he will relax rules around electric vehicles after carmakers were hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The prime minister said “global trade is being transformed” after the US president‘s 25% levy on imported cars, and 10% tariff on other products, came into force.

Jaguar Land Rover has said the firm will “pause” shipments to the US as it looks to “address the new trading terms”.

Trump adviser explains why tariffs put on island inhabited only by penguins

Labour made a manifesto pledge to restore a 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars after it had been rolled back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government.

Sir Keir Starmer. Pic: Reuters
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Starmer promises to ‘back British business’. Pic: Reuters

Sir Keir will officially confirm the ban in an announcement on Monday but regulations around manufacturing targets on electric cars and vans will be altered, to help firms in the transition.

Luxury supercar firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren will still be allowed to keep producing petrol cars beyond the 2030 date, because they only manufacture a small number of vehicles per year.

More on Tariffs

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‘Nothing off the table’ over tariffs

Petrol and diesel vans will also be allowed to be sold until 2035, along with hybrids and plug-in hybrid cars.

The government is also going to make it easier for manufacturers who do not comply with the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which sets sales targets, to avoid fines, and the levies will be reduced.

Sir Keir said: “I am determined to back British brilliance.

“Now more than ever UK businesses and working people need a government that steps up, not stands aside.

“That means action, not words.”

Officials have said support for the car industry will continue to be kept under review as the full impact of the tariffs announced last week becomes clear.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the industry deserves “clarity” in the economic context.

She said: “Our ambitious package of strengthening reforms will protect and create jobs, making the UK a global automotive leader in the switch to EVs, all the while meeting our core manifesto commitment to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.”

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Starmer pledges to shelter UK business from tariff storm
Jaguar Land Rover decision sparks anxiety in car-making hub

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the government had “recognised the intense pressure manufacturers are under”, while Colin Walker, a transport analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the ZEV mandate is a “global success story” in driving a surge in sales of electric vehicles.

Tariff impact on UK businesses revealed

Some 62% of UK firms with trade exposure to the US are being negatively impacted by Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to the British Chambers of Commerce.

Its survey of more than 600 businesses also found 32% of firms with trade exposure to the US said they will increase prices in response.

The survey also found 41% of firms with no exposure to the USA said they would be negatively impacted by the tariffs.

Some 44% of firms with exposure to the US said the UK should seek to negotiate a closer trade relationship with the US, while 43% said they wanted closer trade with other markets.

Just under a quarter (21%) said they thought the UK should impose retaliatory tariffs.

The survey also found that 40% of firms considered the 10% tariffs to be better than they had expected.

It comes as KPMG warned US tariffs on UK exports could see GDP growth fall to 0.8% in 2025 and 2026.

The accountancy firm said higher tariffs on specific categories, such as cars, aluminium and steel, would more than offset the exemption on pharmaceutical exports, leaving the effective tariffs imposed on UK exports at around 12%.

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “Given the economic impact that tariffs would cause, there is a strong incentive to seek a negotiated settlement that diminishes the need for tariffs. The UK automotive manufacturing sector is particularly exposed given the complex supply chains of some producers.”

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Girl, 10, and father, who died in caravan park fire in Lincolnshire named

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Girl, 10, and father, who died in caravan park fire in Lincolnshire named

Two people who died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness have been named by police.

Lincolnshire Police said 48-year-old Lee Baker and his 10-year-old daughter Esme Baker, both from the Nottingham area, were killed in the blaze.

However, formal identification is still yet to take place and “could take some time”, the force said.

Emergency services were alerted to a fire at Golden Beach Holiday Park, in the village of Ingoldmells, at 3.53am on Saturday.

In a statement issued through police, a member of the Baker family said: “Lee and Esme were excited to be spending the first weekend of the holidays together.

“We are all utterly devastated at what’s happened.

“This loss is incomprehensible at the moment, and we ask for people to give us space to process this utterly heartbreaking loss.”

A GoFundMe page set up for the victims’ family described the father and daughter as “two peas in a pod” who were “both happy-go-lucky people who loved life”. It has so far raised more than £3,000.

The police force, together with Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Detective Inspector Lee Nixon said: “We believe we might be close to arriving at a working hypothesis.

“We are working hard to validate the facts available to us to be able to provide answers for the family and loved ones of those who were very tragically taken by this fire.

“Yet the evident intensity of the fire has made this task incredibly challenging.”

Dan Moss, from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family at this time.

“Our Fire Investigation Team is working with colleagues from Lincolnshire Police, and a full investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

“Once investigations are complete, local fire crews and our community fire safety team will be on hand to talk to people in the area and address any fire safety concerns they may have, at what will be an upsetting time.”

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