THE Justice Secretary has dismissed an offer for the suspect in the death of a 19-year-old boy, whose ashes were scattered on Portland, to perform community service in the United States.

Lawyers representing Anne Sacoolas, the suspect in the death of Harry Dunn who died in 2019, have claimed the charge against her would not usually result in a prison sentence on the US - in a case which has been described as a 'denial of justice' by Robert Buckland.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman, when asked what Boris Johnson thinks of Anne Sacoolas’ offer to do community service in the US, said officials have “always sought to extradite” the suspect.

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US authorities refused a request for the extradition of Sacoolas after asserting diplomatic immunity on her behalf, and she returned to her home country before being charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Mr Dunn was killed in a crash outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August 2019.

Last year, Harry's parents scattered his ashes on Portland - his favourite place - and installed a plaque on the face of a rock as a memorial to their son, which has since been removed after a chain of events where it went missing and was found again in October 2020.

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Sacoolas’s lawyer Amy Jeffress has said that her client was not inclined to return to the UK to face trial.

However, Mr Buckland said the priority should be to establish liability for the death of Mr Dunn.

“Here in England and Wales we like to deal with things in their proper order. At the moment there is outstanding a very serious matter relating to alleged driving of this person and the death of a young man who has left behind a family who is naturally not just grief-stricken, but who want justice,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“As the Foreign Secretary (Dominic Raab) has said, the current situation is a denial of justice. Rather than talking about the sentence that would be appropriate, let’s actually deal with the question of liability first.

“What we are trying to do is to actually go through due process and deal with the issue of criminal liability first.”

The PM’s official spokesman added: “We have always sought to extradite – and we have asked for the extradition of – Anne Sacoolas and the denial of that we see as a denial of justice.

“We have always said that she should return to the UK and we continue to support Harry Dunn’s family in their fight for justice.”

According to her lawyer, Sacoolas would be willing to perform community service in the US and make a “contribution” in Mr Dunn’s memory, as well as meet his family.

Claiming Sacoolas has “never denied” responsibility for the crash, Ms Jeffress said that, since the charge pending in Britain against the 43-year-old would not usually result in a prison sentence in the US, her client is not inclined to return to the UK to face trial.

The Dunn family’s spokesman, Radd Seiger, told the PA news agency that a criminal sentence is only “for a court to determine” and “not for any of us to discuss”.

Mr Dunn’s mother, Charlotte Charles, added: “I made a promise to Harry the night he died that I would get him justice.

“There are no circumstances in which I am going to break that promise. You do not get to kill someone and walk away.

“This campaign has been all about accountability and ensuring that no-one is above the law.”