How can Ann Sacolas live with her actions?

[GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly]

Fell so dreadfully sorry for Harry Dunn's family. The high court has ruled that Ann Sacolas DID have diplomatic immunity. She did not work at the base. She drove on the wrong side of the road. She caused Harry's death. She has not taken responsibility for her actions. How would she feel if it had been her child killed?

*Feel

*Anne

My thoughts go out to Harry's family. Dreadful

Has she ever said sorry even?

Dreadful case despicable woman, and she was prepared to try and 'ambush' the poor bereaved parents in the White House at the behest of the even more despicable Trump 😟
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/15/harry-dunn-parents-trump-white-house-anne-sacoolas

Honestly OP its tragic and very sad but I don't entirely understand the witch hunt nature of this.

Its actually relatively common for people who have recently been driving on the 'other' side of the road to make that mistake. The same thing happened with the actor Mathew Broderick in the 80s: driving on the wrong side of the road, killed a woman and her mother in Ireland. He stayed, faced the charges, got a slap on the wrist, went back to being rich and successful and even has a holiday home near where it happened.

I imagine what happened next - the decision not to comment, to leave, etc etc, was in some part influenced by her job. I'd be surprised if she wasn't desperately sorry, given nothing suggests she's a monster. But generally in cases like this people don't serve very long prison sentences, she had her child in the car, she was hardly purposefully driving recklessly. My understanding is the base she was on requires all people to drive on the right, which sounds like an accident waiting to happen, so you would think something could happen regarding that policy.

I feel very sorry for his family but I don't think any kind of punishment she would realistically serve would make that much of a difference to them, however much it may feel like it now.

I agree with you, OP.

I believe that we should take responsibility for our actions, and face the consequences when we fuck up, whether deliberately or accidentally. I couldn’t do what she has done - running away and hiding like this.

causing death by careless driving. I doubt she'd just arrived in the UK, she had no excuse.

child in car irrelevant. I have read elsewhere that this base (which is not just an airfield...) operates American rules inside. Nonetheless, not paying attention and committed manslaughter with a car. Unfortunately killing with cars gets you light treatment even in the UK.

terrible thing but nothing can set it right, although if she showed some remorse it would be good.

I feel so sorry for the Dunns.
I understand it was an accident & she ( Anne) would have been terrified. But she lost all my sympathy when she left without so much as a sorry. She hasn't taken any responsibility for it at all. Even if she stayed and got a slap on the wrist at least his family could have gotten closure. She's a very selfish woman

I feel so sorry for the Dunns. They come across as very calm and measured. I am sure Harry's mum said they didn't even wanted her to go to prison just not run away.

She's a disgrace - as a parent herself you'd think she'd understand the Dunns' need for closure on this. I do understand her panicking and running away at the time, not everyone is a clear thinker after an accident, but refusing to come back to face justice, and failing to apologise, and then trying to ambush the poor Dunns in the White House show that she's a dreadful, selfish excuse for a woman.

@tyrannosaurustrip no nothing is going to bring back Harry. His family wanting justice through the legal system is reasonable though isn't it? It's not a witch hunt to expect someone to be accountable for their actions, intentional or not - the Home Office seek her extradition for death by dangerous driving. The Prime Minister has said the refusal of the US to extradite Anne Sacoolas is a "denial of justice".

If it was a member of your family who had been killed would you really be so blase?

She will have to live with killing that poor boy for the rest of her life. I don't want to imagine the torturous thoughts that plague her at night, it'll eat her up, eventually. Well, unless she is very good at compartmentalising.

I understand Harry Dunn’s family want justice but at this point the witch hunt is too much.

It was an accident, she took advice, and the advice was (wrongly or rightly) to leave.

She has a young child, she doesn’t want to risk being imprisoned in a foreign country.

If someone offered you the choice-
A) Stay, get a criminal record for death by dangerous driving, possibly prison
or
B) Leave now, go home and don’t return.

Which would you really choose?
Would your ‘moral compass’ really outweigh your self preservation, your freedom and your family life? I highly doubt it.

I live near the airbase and it is worryingly common how many people drive out of the gates and onto the wrong side of the road.

My heart breaks for the Dunns. Anne Sacoolas is a disgrace, as far as I can see she hasn’t even said sorry to the family, not an ounce of remorse shown. What a cruel woman.

She is absolute scum. I hope she goes prison and has a horrible time tbh.

How does Anne Sacolas feel?

She probably feels bloody awful, just like anyone would who'd killed someone accidentally.

She'll be living her own sentence for the rest of her life - she's not ever going to forget she killed someone and ran away.

There's not a lot to be gained even if it was agreed she didn't have immunity - she's not going to come back to the UK to face the music.

I feel sorry for everyone involved.

I drove round a blind corner on the wrong side of the road shortly after returning to the UK following three years in the US. I was driving carefully. I wasn't being reckless. Yet I still made a mistake. We are human, and we make mistakes.

Fortunately the road was clear (there was an oncoming car some distance away, which was when I realised what I was doing). It still makes absolutely me cold to think about it. But if the worst had have happened, what sense would if have made for me to go to prison, and to be separated from my young children? How could that possibly have made anything better? I cannot claim I would take the moral high ground and 'face the music' if there was anything I could do to protect my family from further harm.

@JaJaDingDong I've no doubt she regrets her actions, it would be an awful thing to have to live with. My question was how would Anne Sacoolas feel if the shoe were on the other foot - it was her child that had been killed and the person responsible had left the country?

I think her punishment will be the mental torture she has to go through on a daily basis. Huge sympathy to Harry’s family though.

But if the worst had have happened, what sense would if have made for me to go to prison, and to be separated from my young children? How could that possibly have made anything better?

Ok, if you ever lose anybody close to you as the result of a crime or negligence. Maybe your young child. Remember this^^. What sense would it make for the perpetrator to go to COURT? (She may not even get a prison sentence obviously. They just want her to go to court).

Better for you and everyone then, if someone who killed your child just runs away and lives a cushy existence in their home country? I'm sure that is not exactly what you would say if this happened to your child.

[quote GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly]@JaJaDingDong I've no doubt she regrets her actions, it would be an awful thing to have to live with. My question was how would Anne Sacoolas feel if the shoe were on the other foot - it was her child that had been killed and the person responsible had left the country?[/quote]
Can you imagine? The wife of a foreign soldier based in the states killed an American kid and then buggared off? And that would be alright would it? Seriously doubt it. US citizens can't even get away with having the wrong sort of bank account in a foreign country or the IRS hunts them down.

I think it was a tragic accident. She made a mistake, which had terrible consequences. I have also accidentally driven on the wrong side of the road in a foreign country, thankfully the outcome was not a tragic one.
She has managed to exploit an option available to her, and is probably one many other people have exploited in similar circumstances.
Nothing will bring the deceased back, justice would be great for the family, but a witch hunt is just going to destroy more lives. Did we learn nothing from Caroline Flack etc?

I think her punishment will be the mental torture she has to go through on a daily basis

Ummm I’m not so sure. Wouldn’t she have released some sort of grovelling tearful apology? Some people really don’t give a toss about anyone else and are quite happy about it.

Nobody wants her to die like poor Caroline flack did. But going with the "it was such a terrible tragedy for everyone involved and what would be best for everyone..." argument, which I totally accept; do you not think facing the family in court, possibly spending what, let's face it, would be a very short stay, if any, in prison, would be much better for your mental health than scurrying off and hiding in shame for the rest of your days? I know I'd be more depressed if I DIDN'T face the music, but maybe that's just me?