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Anne Sacoolas

(141 Posts)
Mollygo Mon 07-Oct-19 22:17:11

Should she have to come back and face trial for killing that boy? I’ve read about diplomatic immunity. Should it cover killing by the diplomat or his/her family?

Specky Tue 08-Oct-19 16:24:52

Ellan v... Do you know what her driving conviction was for?

EllanVannin Tue 08-Oct-19 16:20:36

The woman already has a driving conviction.

PamelaJ1 Tue 08-Oct-19 16:03:48

Lois- by wrong side of the road I was referring to the fact that they drive on the “wrong side” of the road in the US.
Sorry I didn’t make that clearer.

SirChenjin Tue 08-Oct-19 16:02:06

It may have been out of her control, yes, but your earlier post seemed to be focused more on the fact that she just made a mistake and didn’t mean to do it, because haven’t we all driven on the wrong side of the road at some point.

I really hope that if the truth ever comes out it shows that the US Govt have them no choice whatsoever - because if she chose to leave the country then there are no polite words to describe her behaviour

PamelaJ1 Tue 08-Oct-19 15:30:37

I did say that I agreed that she should have stayed. We all should face up to the consequences of our actions. Accidental or not.
However it may have been out of her control. If the US wanted her gone then she would have to go.

Gonegirl Tue 08-Oct-19 15:30:21

I agree wholeheartedly with PamelaJ.

This shouldn't turn into a witch-hunt.

merlotgran Tue 08-Oct-19 15:26:25

Well said, Pamela. It may be that she will face charges if she doesn't have DI but I still think the family were hastily moved back to the USA as a matter of security.

Loislovesstewie Tue 08-Oct-19 15:04:33

I don't tend to drive on the wrong side of the road unless I am overtaking .
I also understand that accidents are just that , but there may be offences committed during that accident . If there were then those need to be investigated and the necessary action taken. By leaving the country under the ' diplomatic immunity', provision she has prevented any further action. The family won't now know exactly what happened and that is why it was cowardly of her to leave. If something had happened to her child I am sure she would have wanted to know the details.

SirChenjin Tue 08-Oct-19 14:59:44

That woman could have been any one of us - but we would have gone through the necessary UK legal proceedings to be found guilty or not guilty.

I lost a member of my family many years ago to a woman who made a terrible mistake while driving. She was arrested for killing a 17 year old boy, charged, faced a trial and she was found not guilty. She had a nervous breakdown and she surrendered her driving licence as she did not want to drive again. What she did not do is skip off to another country to escape the legal process.

Anne Sacoolas had a choice and she chose not to do the right thing. I have absolutely zero sympathy for her as a result - zero.

PamelaJ1 Tue 08-Oct-19 14:45:03

Well I’m going to type what I think then duck for cover.

First of all this is a most terrible tragedy for all involved. Yes all of them. The poor young man, his parents and the Sacoolas family. They have all had their lives ruined.

Anne Sacoolas did not get up one morning and decide to go out on the roads and kill someone. It was an accident. Like every accident is an accident.
As far as I an aware she wasn’t on drugs or been tested positive for alcohol. She made a mistake.
How often have any of you made a mistake?
A terrible tragic mistake and her lack of concentration had dreadful consequences.
She is being made out to be a monster and she isn’t.
Have non of you ever driven on the “wrong side” of the road?
Once more I don’t know if she was driving a left or right hand drive car. It’s easier to stay on the correct side of the road if the car being driven is designed for that side.
A lot of cars around our local US airforce base use left hand drive vehicles so, IMO, this makes remembering more difficult.
I agree she should have stayed but, like david, I would think she had little choice.
I feel that she has been judged very harshly by most on this thread. That woman could have been me.

Gonegirl Tue 08-Oct-19 14:44:37

Do we have an extradition agreement with the US?

SirChenjin Tue 08-Oct-19 14:30:55

Probably

Anniebach Tue 08-Oct-19 14:26:49

Safe in America I expect

SirChenjin Tue 08-Oct-19 14:24:40

Just saw that on Sky Anniebach wonder where that leaves her now?

Gonegirl Tue 08-Oct-19 14:22:26

Sorry Alexa. It's dawned on me what you mean. (Feeling bit dim today)

Anniebach Tue 08-Oct-19 14:12:08

She hasn’t diplomatic immunity, her husband didn’t register
her

rafichagran Tue 08-Oct-19 13:45:03

I agree with David, and also think the desition was taken out if her hands.

I feel so sorry for Harry's family.

Gonegirl Tue 08-Oct-19 13:31:48

Has she been immoral?! >>pricks up ears for the goss<<

Alexa Tue 08-Oct-19 13:15:19

Could the woman's immoral behaviour have something to do with secrecy surrounding her husband's being a spy, plus sensitive information?

Davidhs Tue 08-Oct-19 13:08:31

Croughton is a small base by US standards, a listening post that relays information to other establishments, it is not like our GCHQ at Cheltenham that employs hundreds of analysts.

It is part of a global system that endeavors to monitor electronic communications worldwide, realize, they can listen in or read any message they wish to, you, me, politicians, heads of state you name it. Personnel at Croughton probably maintain and install the equipment, much of which would be secret.

Davidhs Tue 08-Oct-19 12:43:05

Oh yes of course “any one who drives in this country should take a British test”
Total rubbish.
We don’t take a test to drive in Europe or in the US or any where else? ( China?)

The US is not going to waive this for the U.K. because dozens of other countries, some not very savory would claim the same. Why do they do it in this way - because they can, national security is more important than individual rights.

Gonegirl Tue 08-Oct-19 12:41:03

Maybe she will be dealt with in the US courts.

Gonegirl Tue 08-Oct-19 12:39:49

From Wikipaedia-

"In November 2013 Tom Watson MP, was reported as saying that there was: "an urgent need for “public scrutiny” of the activities at RAF Croughton. The US Air Force station is a major hub for American military and clandestine communications". It is reported to have been central to the monitoring of the mobile phone of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel."

Yes, I think she was definitely hustled back to the US pretty quickly!

Apparently, it's the only place outside of London where they do get diplomatic immunity.

SueDonim Tue 08-Oct-19 12:21:50

Talking to friends on the other side of the Atlantic, Davidhs's position sounds as though it's probably correct. This woman is probably not her own agent. America can and will prevent its own citizens from leaving the US if it so pleases them.

Given that she fully cooperated with the police at the time and didn't claim DI at that point, I suspect she is being 'leant on' by a very heavy weight.

It's a tragedy for Harry's poor family, no one could think otherwise. sad

Doodledog Tue 08-Oct-19 12:07:24

I have every sympathy with Harry's parents, and can't imagine what they are going through; but I honestly don't know whether (Heaven forbid) if this happened to one of my children that I would feel any better about it if the person who accidentally killed them were punished.

I have thought about this a lot, and I just don't see how it would help. I can understand wanting revenge for a murder, or pleading with a kidnapper, or for a killer to say where the body is; but I just can't really get my head around something like this. A hit and run, if the driver could have helped the victim but ran off, is different, I think.

I'm sorry if that sounds insensitive. I'm really not, and I hope I never get to find out how I would feel for real.