American Anne Sacoolas will attend the trial in connection with the Harry Dunn vehicle murder of teenagers

The American woman whose SUV killed a British teenage boy on his motorcycle in early October 2019 will finally face justice in England – at least almost. Anne Sacoolas, 45, fled the UK after driving her SUV on the wrong side of a two-lane British motorway, killing 18-year-old Harry Dunn, who was on his motorcycle.

Sacoolas, the wife of an American diplomat, had given birth to her 12-year-old son in the car at the time and had just left the Royal Air Force base in Croton where her husband was stationed. Sacoolas was also a former US Army employee, and several reports indicated that Sacoolas and her husband were involved in intelligence work.

A recent book by former Attorney General Jeffrey Berman revealed that the Sacoolas case has become intertwined with the United States’ request to meet Prince Andrew about his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. He wrote that William Barr had told him that his request to interview the prince had become “a sort of feud in a dispute with the British concerning the wife of an American diplomat who accidentally killed a 19-year-old British motorcyclist in a car accident.” Berman said the accident was a problem. “Barr told me that public disagreement over Prince Andrew’s refusal to sit down for an interview was helpful in this other case,” he wrote. “It did public relations damage, it was my impression, and it made management’s acceptance to stick firmly.”

Immediately after the accident, Sacoolas remained at the scene until first responders arrived. She was not tested for alcohol or was detained and instead returned to the Air Force Base. She was taken away to the United States after being questioned by police at the base, which sparked contempt in the UK, especially with the Dunn family demanding her return to face justice in the UK

In mid-October 2019, Dunn’s parents visited the White House, at the invitation of then-President Donald Trump, who was hiding Sacoolas behind the door and who planned to ambush the grieving parents so she could apologize. Dunn’s parents refused to meet her and left the White House.

For the past three years, British prosecutors have worked unsuccessfully with the US government and Sacoolas’ lawyers to try to find an agreement to convert the “causing death through reckless driving” charges to hit-and-run. The hearing scheduled for January 2022 was abruptly postponed when negotiators were close to striking a deal, but the Dunn family reportedly refused to accept anything but the full charges of causing the death. The UK does not have the same vehicle-killing charge that would result from a similar accident in the US

On Monday, the Public Prosecution said that the hearing will begin Thursday at Westminster Court of First Instance in London. Both the court and Sacoolas’ US attorney confirmed to The Daily Beast that the American will appear via a video link from the US “a hearing has been scheduled for September 29 in Westminster Magistrates’ Court,” a statement from the court provided to The Daily Beast. “We remind everyone that Ms. Sacoolas has a right to a fair trial and there should be no reporting, commenting or sharing of information online that could in any way harm any proceedings.”

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