The family of Harry Dunn and alleged victims of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have joined forces to put pressure on Anne Sacoolas and the Duke of York to “co-operate with law enforcement”.
Radd Seiger, spokesman for Mr Dunn’s family, reached out to Lisa Bloom,the lawyer representing six of Epstein’s alleged victims, saying there was a “common thread” in both cases.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Ms Bloom said the “parallels between the two cases are eerie” and involved “everyday teenagers” who were “victimised”.
Mr Seiger said it was “terrible advice” for Mrs Sacoolas and the duke if they are being advised “it’s all going to go away” and they should just “wait it out”.
READ MORE: PM labels extradition refusal in Harry Dunn case a ‘denial of justice’
The pair joined forces to call for both Mrs Sacoolas to return to the UK and Andrew to face questioning from the FBI in the US.
Mrs Sacoolas was charged with causing Mr Dunn’s death by dangerous driving in December but US secretary of state Mike Pompeo rejected an extradition request for the 42-year-old last month.
The 19-year-old was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside US military base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year.
Mrs Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity following the crash and was able to return to her home country, sparking an international controversy.
Allegations about Andrew have also surfaced in recent weeks by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and alleges the duke slept with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17 – still a minor under US law.
Andrew strenuously denies the allegations.
In an interview with BBC Panorama, Ms Giuffre told how she was left “horrified and ashamed” after an alleged sexual encounter with Andrew in London in 2001.
She claimed she danced with him in Tramp nightclub, adding he was “the most hideous dancer I’ve ever seen in my life” and “his sweat was … raining basically everywhere”.
During a Newsnight interview, the duke said the alleged encounter in 2001 did not happen as he spent the day with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking for a party.
He also said he does not recall meeting Ms Giuffre, and had a medical condition at the time, after suffering an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when he was shot at, that meant he did not sweat.
At the press conference in New York, Ms Bloom said: “Today we stand with the family of Harry Dunn and they stand with us. Both Mrs Sacoolas and Prince Andrew must co-operate with law enforcement.
“I call upon my government, the US, to return Mrs Sacoolas to the UK to face justice.”
The lawyer said Andrew needs to “answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein and his own behaviour”, adding: “In both countries everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.”
Speaking of the reasons for reaching out to Ms Bloom, Mr Seiger said: “It’s about evasion of justice.
“These are the two greatest allies in the world and they follow a rules-based system. No-one, no matter who you are … is above the law.
“We all break the rules from time to time but we don’t get to walk away and hide.”
He said after meeting Kiki, an alleged victim of Epstein also present at the press conference, “what you see every day is a strengthening and stiffening of resolve”.
In a message to Andrew, Mr Seiger said: “If you have nothing to hide get on a plane and meet with Kiki, and help her and help other victims … there’s no other way”
Asked by a reporter if the pair are proposing a “swap”, Mr Seiger said: “It can never be a swap but at the heart of extradition treaties is reciprocity.
READ MORE: Prince Andrew 'providing zero cooperation' in Jeffrey Epstein investigation
“If you want me as a nation to send people you want to prosecute, you have to agree to do the same thing.
“It can never be a straight swap but be careful what you wish for.
“If you want people from the UK like Prince Andrew, Julian Assange … you have to think about making sure that treaty is followed to the letter.”
He said the US government’s decision to refuse to extradite Mrs Sacoolas was “legally indefensible” and “effectively ripping up the treaty”.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel