POLL - allowing diplomat's wife to flee to USA after hit and run killing

POLL

How many of you think it was the right decision for the US government to allow this woman to flee to the US after having mowed down a 19 year old boy by driving on the wrong side of the road, then fleeing the scene, leaving him there to die as if she ran over some squirrel? If you do agree with them allowing her to  as this.flee, please explain why you agree. And don't argue "diplomatic immunity" because that should not apply in something so severe

How many of you live on a US military base in the UK? I imagine some of you do, and so this latest bit of news has made you rather uneasy. Perhaps some of you even knew her. But to defend her for this? What if it was your child?

You are NOT above the law here just because you are part of the US military. This is not a speeding ticket. It's a hit and run with a young man dying. And you have no business getting behind the wheel of a car if you can't even figure out which side of the road to drive on.

Whole thing sickens me and it's beyond shameful.

I would expect other expats to be as angry as I am over this, but the lack of response on here is really quite disturbing.

There are a lot of people who are going to  do whatever they can to make sure that this isn't swept under the rug and that this woman faces justice in a UK criminal court.

How many times are you going to post this?

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Wife of diplomat = diplomatic immunity. Depending on whose wife she is, they may be able to get her back. But if he's anyone who is "sensitive" I doubt it will happen, as it would compromise him.  This was a bit more than a "military base" she exited.

If it were up to me, I'd say bring her up on involuntary manslaughter charges and try to get her extradited. However, the diplomatic immunity will almost assuredly mean that won't happen. All the "appeals to President Trump" don't really mean diddly. He can't put her on a plane at this point (if ever). It's not in his authority. She hasn't been charged with any crime.

And yes, she's protected by the law based on that, just as UK diplomats and their kin are in the USA. Morally correct or not, that's how it works.

The lack of responses has to do with YOU.  Not the circumstance.

I look forward to there being half a dozen pot-stirring posts by the time the weekend is out.  Keep em coming!   

danicali, your inflammatory language and multiple posts are detracting from the issue which you obviously feel so strongly about.

You are actually doing the cause a disservice.

Change the law. Too late at this time, but.......

I've worked at Croughton. NOTHING there but for the communication bubbles as with Menwith Hill (worked there and live here). Not too sure why someone like that would even be there....There is very little shopping etc. there. Sheep......lots of wind.....nothing there.

My opinion is that she should have stayed.....silly mistake and should be responsible. BUT That isn't the law as it stands. So......change the law if you don't like things as they are. In my opinion, diplomatic immunity should only pertain to diplomatic communication (pouches etc....even though yucky things could be put in there).

I wasn't made King.....so.....things continue as they are.

This was all over Reddit, and the BBC. I'm starting to wonder if there aren't some dark forces at work to influence the way this story is playing out.  I'm sure Danicali doesn't work for free, so somebody must have an interest in making this a big deal. 

Well, it does give people something to target any ambient anger towards. Say, anger or stress brought on by life events beyond their control that have been hanging over them for quite some time....   

It really is a sad case. There's so much crap information out there that there's no way to know what's real. All I can sort out is that one of the diplomatic  group had been in-country for about three weeks and was supposedly involved in a crash in which a young man was killed. Since the police had already spoken with the person, it probably wasn't "hit and run" or they wouldn't know who to talk to. She was said to have said she had no plans to leave. Which may well have been true at the time she was talking with the police. It could be that she was subsequently advised to leave by persons unknown, and did so. Or not. No way to know.  I've also read that the whole family has gone. How true ANY of that is... there is no way to know. The media tends to pick up bits of a story from conjecture by other people. The only parts I trust to be true are that there's a dead young man with a grieving family, and various politicians are now involved, so it will turn into a sh#tshow. 

I do find it eyebrow-raising to have heard on ITV this morning that Boris is "telling the USA that they must" return her to "face justice." Both that Boris can tell the USA to do anything - all he can do is have his people formally request her extradition, when charges are filed, and if things go as they stand now, that will probably be turned down. And the nebulous term "face justice".  Would seeing the person involved in a traffic accident, presumably caused by them due to their incompetence, in court to get a slap on the wrist really help that poor family? And how do you punish incompetence? Do I understand them wanting to see her in court? Sure, absolutely. Someone is responsible for the death of their child. Do I think it would change anything for them? Not really, in the long run. But perhaps they think they need that, so they can get on with their grief. Or perhaps they are in some sort of denial, thinking that formal charges and "consequences" will make it hurt less for them. But who knows? Grief is such a personal thing. It's so sad.

Someone has released a photo of the person who is supposedly the driver and identified her by name. If it was an accident and if the driver was this woman, and if she has any feelings at all, she's in  hell now. It's all over the US media as well, now, so it's not like she's walking around with a drink with an umbrella in it, somewhere. And if this person IS actually the person involved, if she does not have any feelings (and there are those people out there), she won't give a darn and will lay low and eventually this will be forgotten, as always happens.  Except by that poor family whose son is dead. And if the person whose name and likeness has been released is NOT the person responsible for the crash.... Oy.

I don't remember all the stages of grief. One of them is anger. I hope the family of that poor boy can get through the anger and deal with their loss. And then heal - as much as one can heal. How, really, do you get over the loss of a child? I can only just begin to imagine the pain.

A couple of thoughts on this story as it continues:

• Danicali hasn't been back to make any comments on this topic.  Funny, since it was once SO important.  More evidence that the account is run by paid trolls.
• Now that the parents are headed over to the States, I'm getting a bit worried for them.  The US government isn't going to officially do anything for them, so all they can do is try to get the media to make a big deal, and 'm not sure they understand how wrong that can go.  They are entering a fact-free world, and not everyone is going to be nice to them.  I'm sure that reporters at this very moment are poring over social media and court records to find some way of attacking these people . 
• What is the financial interests in all this?  Considering that someone has already paid for the trolls to stir this up, someone has already spent money to make this a big deal.  Who are they and what are their interests? Perhaps we'll find the answer to that when we see who attacks the parents first.   Maybe it's the Russians, who would benefit from any wedge between the US/UK dipolomatic relations.   

It's all  just very sad whichever way you look at it.

The media are also reporting other historical similar accidents. Do they not have signs at the exit to the bases, reminding people leaving which side of the road to drive on?

Yeah, I've been worried about the parents. I am hoping they are not being taken advantage of. They seem to think that flying to the USA to appear on various talk shows is going to change something.  Who is paying for their flights, hotels, etc? Who is paying for that lawyer they seem to have with them constantly? The media loves a David-vs-Goliath story, and people tend to root for the underdog. But I do think the media's interest is more of the tabloid "sell papers" variety than anything else. And I do think it all may backfire on them, and also ruin them financially. I would hate to see that.

At present, no charges have been filed against the driver, so nothing ~can~ happen. If charges are filed, the UK government will have to contact the US government to request extradition. There would be hearings, and she could fight it. It could take years. But that is the process.  Going to see "President Trump because he can make it happen" is... very sadly misguided. And if the driver is covered under the  agreement between the US and the UK regarding intelligence personnel, she will not be extradited if it would in any way compromise her husband and/or his activities. I have to wonder about that part, the intelligence connection. Who stands to gain if there is a breakdown in the intelligence network?

At first the stories I was seeing was that the mother wanted to meet the driver to just know what happened. So she was the one who wanted the meeting. The driver has released a statement saying she was "devastated" and that she  has agreed meet the mother to extend her condolences and apologize, and that what's been published in the press has been mis-represented. (I don't doubt that.) Now there's a story saying the mother has said she won't meet the driver unless the driver agrees to return to the UK.  And "I'm sorry is not good enough".  Ok, so at least she's moved into the anger stage of grief. But people (at least the Americans I know) tend to look down on emotional manipulation. That won't play well to US audiences, I don't think. I actually also feel really bad for that poor driver. It was an accident, she'd been here three weeks. She has to live with knowing she killed that boy for the rest of her life. If it were me, they'd have had to have sedated me heavily, for quite some time, I think.

The sad thing is that it does look to me like the family is being exploited. And I think that everything they are doing is keeping them from focusing on their grief. (Understandable, but the piper will have to be paid eventually.) I hope that they are getting some kind of grief counseling. I really do. You do strange things when you're in this kind of pain. And you are very vulnerable.  I understand why they want to do what they are doing. But I think it's in the way of them processing what has happened - it gives them something else to focus on. And I hope I'm wrong, but at this point I think it's not going to end well for them.

What is the financial interests in all this?  Considering that someone has already paid for the trolls to stir this up, someone has already spent money to make this a big deal.  Who are they and what are their interests? Perhaps we'll find the answer to that when we see who attacks the parents first.   Maybe it's the Russians, who would benefit from any wedge between the US/UK dipolomatic relations.

I think it is just a desire to destabilize the NATO alliance.  Historically, NATO was the "enemy" to former USSR/now-Russian state.  The US was the strongest player in that club, and the US has effectively been brought to heel.  But the rest of NATO endures.  Brexit and breaking down the "special relationship" takes care of that.  Suddenly, it's every nation for itself while Russia is laughing.

Edited to add:  Now I'm just watching to see if Trump goes full treason and hands the keys to the castle over to Putin, or the "good guys" finally step up and do something to change the course of this Titanic disaster.

• Now that the parents are headed over to the States, I'm getting a bit worried for them.  The US government isn't going to officially do anything for them, so all they can do is try to get the media to make a big deal, and 'm not sure they understand how wrong that can go.  They are entering a fact-free world, and not everyone is going to be nice to them.  I'm sure that reporters at this very moment are poring over social media and court records to find some way of attacking these people . 

Mark Stephens is one of the Dunn family's lawyers, and there's a dude who never met a TV camera he didn't want to stand in front of. I don't know what smoke he's blowing up those poor people's skirts, but he should be ashamed of himself.

• What is the financial interests in all this?  Considering that someone has already paid for the trolls to stir this up, someone has already spent money to make this a big deal.  Who are they and what are their interests? Perhaps we'll find the answer to that when we see who attacks the parents first.   Maybe it's the Russians, who would benefit from any wedge between the US/UK dipolomatic relations.   

I think it is just a desire to destabilize the NATO alliance.  Historically, NATO was the "enemy" to former USSR/now-Russian state.  The US was the strongest player in that club, and the US has effectively been brought to heel.  But the rest of NATO endures.  Brexit and breaking down the "special relationship" takes care of that.  Suddenly, it's every nation for itself while Russia is laughing.

I agree. Russia is happy to spend some money to stir up trouble between the US and UK.[/list]

Oh, heavens. The father just gave an interview where he basically said that the reason they were doing all this is that the driver took too long to apologize, and then didn't apologize 'enough'. 

That's not going to play well.

I wonder what the family thinks will happen to the driver if she ever were to appear in a UK court?  As far as I know, sentences for killing someone with your car are incredibly light.  For example, here's a guy who was driving 60 mph in a 40 mph zone, talking on his phone and just about took out an entire volleyball team:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1457584/Driver-in-triple-death-crash-escapes-jail.html

He killed 3 people, seriously injured two, and his sentence was --
Jones, from Bournemouth, admitted driving without due care and attention and was given a £1,500 fine and banned from driving for five years.

I bet that family wouldn't be so happy if she actually did come back and was given a slap on the wrist like that.