After fatal UK crash, U.S. removes criminal immunity for its diplomat families

 

FILE PHOTO: Charlotte Charles, mother of Harry Dunn, and Dunn's stepfather Bruce Charles walk outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, Britain, July 21, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has agreed with the United States to remove immunity from criminal prosecution for the families of U.S. diplomats and embassy staff after 19-year-old Harry Dunn was killed in a fatal collision involving the wife of a U.S. diplomat.

 

“The U.S. waiver of immunity from criminal jurisdiction is now expressly extended to the family members of U.S. staff,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a written statement.

 

“... Thus ending the anomaly in the previous arrangements and permitting the criminal prosecution of the family members of those staff, should these tragic circumstances ever arise again,” Raab said.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-22

 

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24 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

to remove immunity from criminal prosecution for the families of U.S. diplomats and embassy staff after 19-year-old Harry Dunn was killed

the whole idea of diplomatic immunity is so flawed as to be borderline asinine; diplomatic families, drug runners ? think that is a stretch ?

It's difficult to get on my high horse about boss redbull when our own officials and powers that be have no integrity. 

The one and only reason that the lady hasn't had to answer th the British justice system is that she's seen as elite. 

1 minute ago, northsouthdevide said:

It's difficult to get on my high horse about boss redbull when our own officials and powers that be have no integrity. 

The one and only reason that the lady hasn't had to answer th the British justice system is that she's seen as elite. 

They should have no problem in exchanging Prince Andrew for this woman then, elite for elite.

Does this mean that the yanks will send the killer back to face justice?

be a pity if this was not made retrospective

One of the terms of the new agreement is to put up signs reminding staff to drive on the left...
 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/22/uk-closes-loophole-that-allowed-harry-dunns-alleged-killer-to-claim-diplomatic-immunity?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Those signs have been there since WW2.

4 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Those signs have been there since WW2.

Yet they still have had to agree to improve road signage on this, hmm...

Edited July 22, 20205 yr by Bluespunk

Deleted

Edited July 22, 20205 yr by Tropicalevo

So she got away with murder then. 

9 hours ago, Malawi said:

Does this mean that the yanks will send the killer back to face justice?

Nope, hence the following line:

 

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

should these tragic circumstances ever arise again,” Raab said.

 

6 hours ago, pegman said:

So she got away with murder then. 

Correct! 

6 hours ago, pegman said:

So she got away with murder then. 

I doubt the charges against her would have risen above ‘Dangerous Driving’, and more likely ‘Driving with undue care and attention’.

 

Every year thousands of people are killed in road ‘accidents’ on British roads, it’s undoubtedly a slaughter, but murder, no.

Brown envelope?

12 minutes ago, Yinn said:

Brown envelope?

those sort of shenanigans aren,t as blatant in the west.

11 hours ago, YetAnother said:

the whole idea of diplomatic immunity is so flawed as to be borderline asinine; diplomatic families, drug runners ? think that is a stretch ?

Nor is it a stretch to envisage a government making arrests and false accusations/set-ups to gain leverage over diplomatic staff.

11 hours ago, northsouthdevide said:

 

The one and only reason that the lady hasn't had to answer the British justice system is that she's seen as elite. 

 I thought her husband the spy would let out secrets if she (his wife) had to pay for killing that boy.

12 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

They should have no problem in exchanging Prince Andrew for this woman then, elite for elite.

Who did HRH Prince Andrew kill and what arrest warrants are outstanding on him?

11 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

One of the terms of the new agreement is to put up signs reminding staff to drive on the left...
 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/22/uk-closes-loophole-that-allowed-harry-dunns-alleged-killer-to-claim-diplomatic-immunity?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

No one should be allowed to drive, in another country, until they demonstrate they know the rules of the road. 

11 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Yet they still have had to agree to improve road signage on this, hmm...

Americans must have difficult with English (and, international road signage).

20 minutes ago, skytrooper70 said:

Americans must have difficult with English (and, international road signage).

They drive on the right in US military bases whereas HMF stationed worldwide drive as per local conditions and have to have a local licence to compliment their DVLA one. The baiter to whom you replied knew nothing of that.

57 minutes ago, skytrooper70 said:

No one should be allowed to drive, in another country, until they demonstrate they know the rules of the road. 

Unfortunately, these tragedies happen fairly regularly in the UK. In many parts there are multi-lingual road signs reminding drivers to drive on the left. If there was insufficient signage around the area where the accident happened then good that that is improved. 

13 hours ago, tifino said:

be a pity if this was not made retrospective

If I am not mistaken US law forbids an "ex post facto" law.  Sad in this case but it exists in order to prevent the government from passing a law to prosecute people for  doing things that were legal at the time they did them.

3 hours ago, evadgib said:

They drive on the right in US military bases whereas HMF stationed worldwide drive as per local conditions and have to have a local licence to compliment their DVLA one. The baiter to whom you replied knew nothing of that.

Wrong as usual, though I fail to see what british forces stationed overseas has to do with my post. 
 

Edited July 23, 20205 yr by Bluespunk

4 hours ago, Dice Man said:

Who did HRH Prince Andrew kill and what arrest warrants are outstanding on him?

The American authorities are saying that he's offering zero co-operation.

5 hours ago, Dice Man said:

Who did HRH Prince Andrew kill and what arrest warrants are outstanding on him?

We don’t know yet because Andrew has not provided a statement or agreed to an interview either in UK or US. As you know, Andrew is not very good at giving interviews on his own, without his lawyer present.

 

It could well be, based on claims by some of the women, that he had sex with under age girls in US which would be statutory rape.

 

The link between Harry Dunn and Prince Andrew seems to have been rumbling on in the background for some time. The US was, initially, very uncooperative about the Harry Dunn case, yet now they seem to be more helpful. That is a big surprise. Why would that be? One possibility is that Harry Dunn (or at least subsequent similar cases) and Andrew are seen as related and, if considered together, can be resolved at government level
 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7936463/Virginia-Roberts-says-Prince-Andrew-not-law-attorney-statement-cooperation.html

15 hours ago, pegman said:

So she got away with murder then. 

Not murder, a car accident in which someone died.  She should still answer for it, but no way is it murder, she has been formally charged with “causing death by dangerous driving".

8 hours ago, kingdong said:

those sort of shenanigans aren,t as blatant in the west.

blatant maybe not but just as frequent. Just because an act is not overt doesn't indicate it doesn't occur. In Canada a lot of the corruption is negotiated as 'favors' political and otherwise, and although cash may not of been passed physically at the time it all amounts to the same in the long run. You would have to be completely naive to believe otherwise..

2 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

The American authorities are saying that he's offering zero co-operation.

Would you if you were guilty?