But Sacoolas still refuses to return to the UK to face charges and her attorney Amy Jeffress now states that her US client would not be prosecuted for a similar accident.
Sacoolas admits she was driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit Dunn in August 2019.
But Jeffress argued that would not be enough for prosecution in the United States.
“If such an accident had happened in the United States, it would not be prosecuted. So in the United States, these cases are only prosecuted when there is evidence of recklessness that goes up to near-intentional driving, drunk driving, distracted driving or driving. a hit-and-run situation or driving excessively fast. But there was none here, “Jeffress told BBC Radio.
Paul Callan, a legal analyst at CNN, disputed the attorney’s claim.
“I don’t believe that attorney’s statement Amy Jeffress accurately describes US law. Driving on the wrong side of the road and killing someone in the process can be a criminal offense in the United States,” said Callan, a former homicide prosecutor in New York. York City. told CNN Tuesday.
In recent years, a number of US states have enacted criminal statutes referring to ‘vehicle murder’. These statutes make it possible to sue for negligent driving in particularly blatant circumstances. category, “Callan said.
Sacoolas has been accused in the UK of causing the death of 19-year-old Dunn through dangerous driving, but the US State Department has rejected a request from the UK to extradite her.
“We really made an effort to resolve this case, rather than her return. We understand that community service is a typical punishment for this type of crime, and since then we have offered more than a year ago that she would be willing to do that kind of thing. sit out and contribute to Harry’s memory, take other steps to try and bring some peace to the family, ”added Jeffress.
Dunn’s mother, Charlotte Charles, turned down the offer.
“I made a promise to Harry the night he died that I would get him justice. There are no circumstances in which I’m going to break that promise. You can’t kill someone and run away. This campaign was all about being accountable. no one is above the law, ”she said in a statement Tuesday.
Robert Buckland, the UK’s Attorney General, told BBC Radio’s Today program that the current situation had resulted in justice being denied.
“The current situation is a denial of justice. Instead of talking about the sentence that would be appropriate, let’s address the issue of liability first,” he said on Tuesday.
“It’s good to see Ms. Jeffress, whom I greatly respect, finally reach the British public,” Dunn family spokesman Radd Seiger said in a statement on Tuesday.
“However, I would encourage her to engage in a dialogue with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that Ms. Sacoolas faces the British justice system. It is not for both of us to try this case in public. We have one of the fairest justice systems in the world and it is vital that justice is not only done for Harry, but seen as done. ”
Seiger added, “Ms. Sacoolas must provide a full account of what happened in court under oath and the case should then be left in the hands of the judge and jury.”