A US citizen has been sentenced to eight months in prison for causing the death of a teenage motorcyclist in England.
Anne Sacoolas, 45, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving after being behind the wheel on the wrong side of the road and colliding with Harry Dunn’s motorcycle.
She was sentenced at the Old Bailey in London to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months. The mother-of-three was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Mr Dunn’s death strained diplomatic relations between the US and the UK when Sacoolas left the country, citing diplomatic immunity and forcing the 19-year-old’s family into a fight for justice.
Sacoolas, the wife of an intelligence officer, was not in court on Thursday and has only appeared via video link from the US.
Charlotte Charles, Mr Dunn's mother, had said she was “absolutely fuming” that the US government advised Sacoolas not to travel to the UK to face justice, making the sentence effectively unenforceable.
“Harry just disappeared out of my life that night, shattering my existence forever," she said outside the court on Thursday as she wept.
“His passing haunts me every minute of every day and I’m not sure how I’m ever going to get over it.
“I made a promise to Harry in the hospital that we would get him justice and a mother never breaks a promise to her son.”
In her sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb paid tribute to Mr Dunn's family.
“There is no doubt that the calm and dignified persistence of these parents and family of that young man has led through three years of heartbreak and effort to your appearance before this court and acknowledge your guilt,” she told Sacoolas.
Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US government, which enabled her to leave the UK 19 days after the incident.
In October, she appeared in court by video link from the US to plead guilty to causing Mr Dunn's death by careless driving.
Mr Dunn was killed when Sacoolas drove her Volvo on the wrong side of the road outside US military base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27, 2019.
Duncan Atkinson KC had told the court that Sacoolas was taking two of her children home from a barbecue at the airbase.
Mr Dunn had spent the afternoon with his best friend and was on his way home on his Kawasaki motorbike.
Sacoolas, having left the base, had driven for only for 26 seconds, travelling 350 metres on the wrong side of the road, when she crashed head on into Mr Dunn's motorbike.
During the sentencing hearing, Sacoolas wiped away tears as she attended remotely from her lawyer's office in Washington DC.
In mitigation, her lawyer Ben Cooper KC read a statement on her behalf in which she said she was "deeply sorry for the pain I have caused".
The judge said Mr Dunn's death was the "highest degree of harm" but added: "I bear in mind this was a short period of driving and you were not familiar with English roads.
"I accept you feel genuine remorse."
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Super Saturday results
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
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Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Spec%20sheet
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SPECS
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
