Mrs Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat stationed briefly in the UK at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, was involved in a road accident in which an 19 year old motorcyclist was killed.

The probable explanation is that Mrs Sacoolas, used to driving on the right hand side of the road, failed to drive on the left when she exited the base on 27th August 2019. Driving on the wrong side of the road resulted in a head-on collision with the motorcyclist who was on the correct side of the road.

Any motorist who has driven in countries which drive on the opposite side of the road to what they are used to will completely understand the circumstances. Assuming the above explanation, Mrs Sacoolas was in the wrong, full stop. Her incorrect observance of the rules of the road where she was driving resulted in the death of another road user who, again following the explanation above, was on the correct side of the road.

No amount of hand-wringing and apologies can alter the fact that the act itself was manslaughter. Courts rightly look at circumstances when judging such cases. A defence of ‘I had diplomatic immunity’ does not count because it does not address the facts of the incident. In fact, it is the most cowardly defence – even if legally admissible – which could be used.

Mrs Sacoolas made a mistake. We have all made mistakes – nobody is perfect. But her mistake cut short somebody else’s life. Both in the US, her native country, and in the UK, where the mistake took place, there are laws which apply when such a mistake results in a death. Why should she, simply on the basis of being married to a diplomat, be exempt from prosecution?

There are degrees of negligence. Failing to keep the pavement in front of your house ice free in winter whereby somebody slips over and dies as a result of hitting their head on the ground is one thing. Driving a vehicle on the wrong side of a road – an offence in itself – resulting in the death of another road user is quite another.
All drivers should be aware that they are in charge of a potentially lethal projectile. I remember the warnings of my driving instructor more than fourty years ago that I needed to be able to react to a child running out into the road between parked cars. If I killed such a child, you could argue that the child shouldn’t have been there or that the parents were not supervising the child correctly, but the fatal blow came from my vehicle, which I had been driving in such a way as to not be able to brake in time to avoid the collision. Traffic laws are designed to protect the weaker participents.

Mrs Sacoolas should be interviewed by Northamptionshire police in respect of this incident. If that investigation shows that she committed an offence, she should answer to a court for it. Immunity should not play any role in that proceedings since it does not address her actions or motivation.

Departing from the scene of an accident is also an offence. Her leaving the country is simply a glorified version of that offence. Nevertheless a court should decide that, not me.

Whatever way you view it, this is a matter for the courts. Only the innocent have nothing to fear from the justice systems in the UK and the US. I strongly suspect she is not innocent of causing this teenager’s death, so let her answer to a court to prove otherwise.