Family of Harry Dunn call for Northants chief resignation over ‘outrageous’ tweet
The family of Harry Dunn have called for the resignation of the chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, Nick Adderley, after the publication of a tweet which appeared to be critical of their plans to take legal action in the United States relating to their case.
Mr Dunn, 19, died outside RAF Croughton when his motorcycle was involved in a collision with a car driven by US citizen Anne Sacoolas, whose husband is a US intelligence official working at the base. Though she initially cooperated with the police investigation, admitting she was driving on the wrong side of the road, Mrs Sacoolas later left the UK, claiming diplomatic immunity.
On Tuesday evening (October 30), Mr Adderley responded to a tweet posted by the Midlands correspondent of Sky News, Lisa Dowd, saying the Dunn family had instructed lawyers in the US to sue Anne Sacoolas for civil damages and the Trump administration for “misconduct and cover up”.
Mr Adderley wrote: “How sad but how predictable!!”
The tweet was deleted around ten minutes after it was posted.
The Dunn family have previously been critical of the actions of Northamptonshire Police in the case and have referred the force to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
In a statement to Sky News responding to the tweet, the family said: “We couldn’t quite believe our eyes when we saw it. It is totally outrageous and absurd for him to take sides and it is clear now that he is just against us.
“He cannot continue in his job and we are calling on him to resign immediately for the good of our case and for the good of the people of Northamptonshire who should be able to rely on their head of police for impartiality and fairness.”
In response, Mr Adderley told Sky News the meaning of his message was being taken out of context. “The tweet was in reference to the profound sadness at the loss of Harry Dunn, that the spokesperson for the family has been absolutely clear on the next steps in fighting for justice for Harry and that the only recourse to justice that they feel they have available to them at the moment is through the US civil court system.
“I deleted it with a view to re-writing it with more context but was called away to deal with something else. I meant no offence by my tweet and apologise if it has been in any way misconstrued or misinterpreted.
“This is an extremely tragic case in which a young man has lost his life and Northamptonshire Police is committed to carrying out a thorough and comprehensive investigation with a view to submitting a completed file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service shortly.”
Northamptonshire’s fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold said: “I am sorry that this tweet has distracted from the important work taking place to resolve this tragic situation. I am grateful that it was brought to my attention and I have spoken to the chief constable about the need for all force communication – on this and all other issues – to remain professional and sensitive at all times.”
