U.S. Diplomatic Spouse Suspect in Fatal Traffic Collision Departs UK Under Diplomatic Immunity

October 7, 2019 By in Diplomatic Immunity, Foreign Service, Media, Realities of the FS, Spouses, State Department, U.S. Missions, UK-FCO Tags: , , ,

 

Media reports that an American diplomat’s wife suspected of involvement in a fatal crash that killed 19-year old Harry Dunn in Croughton, in central England has left the UK under diplomatic immunity.
An ITV report says that the American family had a home at RAF Croughton, a U.S.  communications base in Brackley.  Sky News says it has  been told there has been a special arrangement in place as early as 1994 between the UK and US for this particular base in Northamptonshire.
We have not been able to find a record of the diplomat-husband in congress.gov (FSOs require senate confirmations).  According to BBC, the US State Department said on Saturday that the incident involved “a vehicle driven by the spouse of a US diplomat assigned to the United Kingdom” but has not released the name of the individual involved in the incident.
BBC News writes that “Nick Adderley, of Northamptonshire Police, has urged the embassy to waive her diplomatic immunity.” Also that “the US State Department said diplomatic immunity was “rarely waived” but Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged the US Embassy to reconsider” and the following:

The US State Department has said it is in “close consultation” with British officials and has offered its “deepest sympathies” to the family of Mr Dunn.

“Any questions regarding a waiver of immunity with regard to our diplomats and their family members overseas in a case like this receive intense attention at senior levels and are considered carefully given the global impact such decisions carry; immunity is rarely waived,” it added.

Publicly available report on US Mission in the United Kingdom notes that Embassy London’s information resource management office operates an extensive program that provides information management and information security, and supports Consulates General Belfast and Edinburgh and a U.S. facility at the Royal Air Force Base Croughton.  Employees at the Regional Information Technical Center, Royal Air Force Base Croughton is under the general direction of the management counselor of the US Embassy in London.
Outrage is building on social media about this incident. While there are official statements circulated in media reports, both US Embassy London and Ambassador Johnson @USAmbUK do not appear to have made any public statement about this fatal crash on their website or social media accounts. Ambassador Johnson’s last two tweets have been taken over with the public’s response to this death, and the hashtag #JusticeForHarry is quietly growing.