US authorities have flown an American diplomat accused of possessing indecent images of children out of the United Kingdom without notifying British police, an action condemned by the family of Harry Dunn, a British teenager who was killed by a US citizen in a separate high-profile case.

The diplomat’s London residence was reportedly raided by American officials last month before he was taken to a US airbase and removed from the country. British law enforcement agencies were not informed prior to the operation. Under existing agreements, US personnel stationed in the UK do not have arrest powers on British soil, raising concerns about the legality and transparency of the removal.

Charlotte Charles, mother of Harry Dunn, who died in 2019 after being struck by a vehicle driven by Anne Sacoolas, criticized the US government’s handling of the case. Sacoolas, a US citizen, left the UK claiming diplomatic immunity shortly after the incident, sparking a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Sacoolas pleaded guilty in a virtual hearing in 2022 to causing death by careless driving and received a suspended sentence of eight months.

Charles described the US authorities’ actions in the latest case as “unforgivable” and drew parallels to her son’s situation, highlighting ongoing frustrations with perceived US disregard for British legal processes.

A spokesperson for the UK government declined to provide comment on the matter, citing the ongoing nature of the US investigation. The removal of the diplomat has renewed debates over diplomatic immunity protocols and the cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom in criminal investigations involving foreign personnel.