The parents of Harry Dunn say they have “supressed and buried” their pain while seeking justice.
Image source, justice4harry19The parents of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn have said they hope they can start to rebuild their lives after US citizen Anne Sacoolas admitted causing his death.
Mr Dunn, 19, died following a crash outside a US military base in Northamptonshire in August 2019.
Anne Sacoolas, 45, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey, via videolink, to causing his death by careless driving.
His mother Charlotte Charles said they had “suppressed and buried” the pain.
On 27 August 2019, Sacoolas turned out of RAF Croughton and drove on the wrong side of the road for more than 20 seconds.
She hit Mr Dunn, who was riding his motorbike on the correct side of the road.
Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US administration following the crash and left the UK 19 days later.
She was charged with causing his death but an extradition request was rejected by the US government a month later, causing a diplomatic row between the two countries.
Image source, Mega Agency
Her guilty plea in court on Thursday marked the end of the family’s three-year wait for justice.
“We’ve got a lot of therapy to go through,” Ms Charles told BBC Breakfast.
“It’s going to be a while before we really understand the depths of the mental health issues.
“You live with the pain every minute of every day that we have suppressed and buried… for over three years now.
“You get to a point where you cope and you manage – beyond that you then start to learn to just function.”
Image source, PA Media
She described that as a “coping mechanism”, adding: “But you don’t live.”
“We’ve got to find a way with a lot of help in trying to move forward now and trying to rebuild,” she said.
“That starts with the horrific task of letting that hurt rise to the surface.”
Harry’s father, Tim Dunn, said: “It’s not going to be great.”
He said the support of their families and those backing their campaign for justice had helped them through.
“The support we’ve had… it makes me cry sometimes. We couldn’t have done it without the support and help of everybody.”
Sacoolas is expected to be sentenced at the end of November.
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