London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 04, 2025

Immunity for US diplomat’s wife involved in teen’s death branded ‘absurd,’ critics blast UK double standards over Assange

Immunity for US diplomat’s wife involved in teen’s death branded ‘absurd,’ critics blast UK double standards over Assange

A former British ambassador has called US and UK claims that Anne Sacoolas – the wife of a US intelligence officer – had immunity, as “a palpable absurdity.” Sacoolas is accused of killing Harry Dunn last year in a car crash.
The 19-year-old was fatally injured after he was allegedly struck by Sacoolas in her car outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August 2019. Sir Ivor Roberts, a former top British diplomat in Serbia, Ireland and Italy, was asked by lawyers representing the Dunn family for his opinion on the tragic case.

The ex-British ambassador hasn’t minced his words, branding it “a palpable absurdity” that both the British Foreign Office and the US Embassy say she could claim the same level of diplomatic immunity as her husband, Jonathan Sacoolas.

Roberts’ scathing views focus on an August 1995 agreement between the UK Foreign Office and the US ambassador to Britain about American personnel at RAF Croughton – the military base where Sacoolas’ husband was stationed at the time of Dunn’s death.

The former diplomat insists that it’s made explicit in the agreement that diplomatic immunity for people like Jonathan and Anne Sacoolas would not apply for “acts performed outside the course of their duties.”

His comments come as former Tory Foreign Office Minister Tony Baldry says the diplomatic immunity deal from 1995 was specifically designed to exclude dangerous driving cases.

Many people on social media have responded angrily to the protection Sacoolas – who fled back to the US in the immediate aftermath of the death – has received from the UK government.

Some hit out at what they see as double standards, whereby WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can be imprisoned in London with the threat of extradition to the US for revealing military “war crimes," while Sacoolas escapes British justice.

Others online called the case “shocking,” claiming that there was ”nothing special about the relationship” that sees the Boris Johnson’s administration “complicit in ensuring justice was avoided to keep [Donald] Trump onside.”

One commenter said: “If the Relationship existed in REALITY, Anne Sacoolas would be on trial in the UK.”

Dunn’s parents are set for their first High Court hearing with Dominic Raab and Northamptonshire Police, in which they allege that the British foreign secretary acted unlawfully over Sacoolas’ departure.

A diplomatic row started shortly after the teenager was killed when his motorbike crashed with a Volvo car outside the US military base. After claiming diplomatic immunity and leaving the UK, Sacoolas was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December last year, but an extradition request was refused by the US the following month.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×