To think American diplomatic immunity...

[MT2017]

...should not apply here.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-49961679

What's worse is that she was advised to leave by the American Embassy!

I wonder if we would waive diplomatic immunity in similar circumstances?

Pretty certain we have - and disciplined diplomats for not co-operating with local law enforcement too. I would put a cite, but all Google knows about now is this case .

However, that was in the olden days. Before we had governments that think the law is something for other people to worry about. These days ? Who knows.

Absolutely disgusting despicable behaviour by the woman. I work as an investigator on a road death unit and see the trauma a family suffers when they lose a loved one at the hands of someone else’s driving. There’s no way she should be immune, or even be trying to pull the immunity card. She should be dragged back to the uk and face prosecution.

She should be dragged back to the uk and face prosecution.

Will thoughts and prayers do instead ?

She cannot be dragged back. The Americans would have to agree via diplomatic channels. The rules are clear and have just been explained by a QC on radio 5. She cannot just return either. Once diplomatic immunity is invoked, different rules apply - Geneva Convention.

Absolutely disgusting despicable behaviour by the woman.

I actually see this as a very hard interpretation what has happened here. Would you be a diplomat, or travel with a diplomat, knowing that, if you broke a law accidentally (there doesn’t seem to have been any intent here) you would be banged up in a foreign country according to their laws? I wouldn’t. I doubt anybody would.

They are here at our invitation, to further the cause of diplomacy between two countries. As much as I sympathise with this boy and his family, I don’t want to see a situation emerge where we can’t get diplomats to come here, or our diplomats won’t go to other countries.

What pisses me off is she may as well have stayed and got the suspended sentence that she never has to serve. It's not like this was ever likely to end in jail time for her but now it's become a big thing because America has done what it always does, shitting on other countries then refusing to take the consequences.

It'll be interesting to see how this other American woman is sentenced for a similar crime, and if she gets a prison sentence, a suspended sentence or something else entirely. Sentencing is tomorrow. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-49641733

The American embassy (in London) used to be notorious for refusing to pay any parking tickets of congestion zone fees. Didn’t wanna, can’t make me is the attitude.

There’s a few embassies near us and we always say ‘they could run over your grandma and get away with it’. And they can.

Yes protect embassy staff from intimidation, wrongful arrest and harassment. Don’t let the escape Scot free when they are reasonably suspected of a crime. The embassy would have known about her and what she was accused of and they advised or let her scarper.

Funny how the US can push/bully to have UK citizens extradited there when they suspect them of a crime? I’m thinking of the 2 (separate cases) hackers off the top of my head.

How can this woman live with herself?

Broke a law accidentally sounds like a minor traffic infringement. Not driving down the wrong side of the road and ploughing into a motorbike.

Despicable human being

Not driving down the wrong side of the road and ploughing into a motorbike.

She broke the law accidentally, resulting in her driving down the wrong side of the road and ploughing into a motorbike. I don’t think that’s debatable. It was an accident. A bad one.

Ran away - isn’t that a crime in itself (to leave the country)?

@LordProfFekko Yep, isn't that how they got Julian Assange in the end?

The poor mum - it was heartbreaking to see her on the news. The driver has kids. I’m sure she didn’t fancy facing the music (and a potential jail sentence) and was given the opportunity to scarper - and took it. I don’t think I could have done that.

I would however say that we should be insisting that any US base here drives on the left.

Do US military bases here not drive on the left already?

She is a despicable human being for not taking responsibility for what she did.

She killed a teenager. Accidentally, yes, but she killed him. And then she lied to the police.

Where's the remorse? She's just about saving her own arse.

OrchidInTheSun

How many people do you know who, if they committed a similar crime, wouldn’t engage a lawyer or try to ensure that their actions weren’t interpreted as kindly as possible? I don’t think she has done anything 95% of the population wouldn’t do, given the chance. Or more.

Seems to me that if she doesn't routine within 7 days that her diplomat spouse should be expelled.

I actually voted YABU (so pile on the hate like T'Internet likes to do). But that's the point of DI; it's blanket immunity. She's a coward of course. Her & spouse & any of their children should be banned from UK forever more. This is in govt powers.

First thing DH said was remind me of the parking ticket scandal in London few yrs ago.

oops... routine = return

I heard on the radio earlier that there was a bad road traffic accident in Washington DC a few years ago, caused by the driving of a Georgian diplomat. The US asked Georgia to waive immunity in this case, which they agreed to do. I think if the US expects other countries to waive immunity in similar circumstances, they have no right to refuse when other countries request the same.

I totally agree with @seaweedandmarchingbands. I strongly suspect I’d do the same I’m afraid

Georgian diplomat had his immunity waived in 1997 after causing death by dangerous driving - in this case he was over the drink-drive limit.

Vile, cowardly woman. Everything about this case makes me angry.

I wouldn't. Because I could never live with myself.

@BubblesBuddy, it’s the Vienna Convention not the Geneva Convention.

She won't face justice. The heat and smoke will die down in a few days and then this will carry on as it was before.