'Harry Dunn had to be household name for justice,' says mother

Harry Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said the family had to embark on a three-year campaign to get justice

Harry Dunn's mother said she had to make her son a "household name" to get justice.

Mr Dunn, 19, died following a crash outside a US military base in Northamptonshire in August 2019.

Last month, Anne Sacoolas, 45, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey, via videolink, to causing his death by careless driving.

The teenager's mother Charlotte Charles said: "It's all been about doing the right thing from day one."

On 27 August 2019, US citizen 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.

Anne Sacoolas, pictured here in 2020, was told by the judge she should appear in court for her sentencing

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.

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Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Mrs Charles said: "We have put ourselves out there... Harry has had to become household name to get justice done.

"When you choose to embark on a campaign, you have to take the rough with the smooth."

She admitted she had been "thrown off course" by some of the reactions from the public, despite it being "overwhelmingly" positive.

"The support we have had has been immense. Without the support of the public and media, we wouldn't be here - it has all been worth it," she added.

Harry Dunn died following a collision outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019

Sacoolas will be sentenced later this month and the Judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, urged her to attend court in person, having appeared via videolink for previous hearings.

"Our job is done. It's over to the judge now," Mrs Charles said.

Sacoolas's guilty plea in court marked the end of the family's three-year wait for justice.

"There's been so much buried, we've needed to get this campaign done, get justice done," Mrs Charles said.

She said she was "a little more emotional, a little bit more tearful and little more accepting of the fact that I need to start allowing the grief to set in to now".

Mrs Charles said should would now "start opening that horrific Pandora's box that's sat in the pit of my stomach".

"I know there is a lot in there that is going to hurt like hell," she said.