Ms Sacoolas entered a guilty plea of death by careless driving during the week (Family handout/PA)
(Picture: PA Media)The parents of Harry Dunn have spoken of their relief after US citizen Anne Sacoolas admitted causing the death of their son.
Anne Sacoolas, 45, was driving on the wrong side of the road when she crashed her Volvo and killed the 19-year-old motorcyclist in August 2019.
On Thursday, she attended the Old Bailey by video link from Washington DC and pleaded guilty to the offence of causing Harry’s death by careless driving.
Speaking on Friday, the teenager’s parents Tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles, said the guilty plea had brought relief, but that there is still a lot of pain to deal with following the loss of their child.
Speaking to the BBC, the teen’s mother said: “It’s going to be a while before we really understand the depths of the mental health issues.
“You live with the pain every minute of every day that we have suppressed and buried... for over three years now.
“You get to a point where you cope and you manage - beyond that you then start to learn to just function.”
Ms Sacoolas had been driving on the wrong side of the road after turning out of RAF Croughton, Northampton.
She then collided with Harry, who was driving his motorbike on the correct side. Ms Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US administration and left the UK 19 days later.
Looking ahead, Ms Charles said she and Harry’s father will need a lot of therapy to address the mental strain they’ve suffered over the next three years.
Adding: "We’ve got to find a way with a lot of help in trying to move forward now and trying to rebuild.
"That starts with the horrific task of letting that hurt rise to the surface."
Harry’s father said the pressure which had built up over the three years felt as though it had slowly ebbed away once Ms Sacoolas entered her plea.
He did, however, praise those who have supported the family, saying: “The support we’ve had it makes me cry sometimes.
“We couldn’t have done it without the support and help of everybody."
