US removed London diplomat accused of child images without warning UK police

Shadow minister, Guardian liken case to Wulfson and Sacoolas

US officials reportedly raided the London flat of a diplomat accused of possessing indecent images of children in August, took him to an American airbase and flew him out of the United Kingdom without warning the Metropolitan Police or seeking his extradition, the Guardian reported on Monday. The diplomat had been stationed at the US embassy in Nine Elms, south-west London.

Conservative shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy wrote to Justice Secretary Alex Norris urging him to seek the diplomat’s return for trial in an English court. In his letter, Timothy said he was concerned US actions represented “a cover-up” and that the diplomat may have committed offences in the UK. “If this is the case, the diplomat should face trial in an English court,” he wrote.

American personnel have no powers of arrest in Britain, and there was no formal request for the man to be extradited, according to the Guardian.

The Metropolitan Police were not warned before the removal took place. A spokesperson for the force confirmed on Monday that US authorities first made contact on Tuesday, 25 August. “On Tuesday 25 August, US authorities made us aware of an investigation they are conducting into suspected offences in London relating to indecent images of children. We continue to liaise with them regarding this matter,” the spokesperson said.

UK ministers are understood to be in contact with the US embassy over the incident, which could further strain relations between London and Washington, the Guardian reported. A UK government spokesperson declined to comment because of the ongoing US investigation but said Britain expects all foreign diplomats to obey the law while in the UK, “in the same way we expect all UK diplomats to do so when posted overseas.”

The US embassy in London said it was “aware of allegations” concerning one of its staff and expected “all personnel to adhere to the highest standards of conduct.” The spokesperson added: “We quickly informed UK law enforcement and took swift action, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners regarding these allegations. The individual in question has been reassigned to the United States in conjunction with an ongoing investigation. The embassy has informed British authorities of the case.” A US State Department spokesperson declined to discuss specifics, adding only: “We take these allegations seriously.”

Timothy said the incident was part of a “concerning pattern” of US authorities prosecuting American service personnel accused of offences against British civilians while stationed in the UK. He cited the case of Capt. Jacob Wulfson, an American fighter pilot who avoided trial under English law for strangling a woman in Cambridge while off-duty, according to previous Guardian reporting. Wulfson was tried by court martial at a US airbase and sentenced to six months in prison after being convicted of strangulation; he was acquitted of charges of sexual assault and aggravated sexual contact.

The Guardian also drew a parallel to the case of Anne Sacoolas, a US State Department employee who caused the death of the teenager Harry Dunn in a car crash in 2019. Sacoolas left the country shortly afterward when the US asserted diplomatic immunity on her behalf. She eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving at a virtual High Court hearing in December 2022 and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for a year.

“These cases should have been investigated by the English police and prosecuted in our courts,” Timothy wrote, citing the Wulfson case. “I ask you to urgently explain what action you are taking to address this, and what will be done to ensure the accused diplomat faces a proper investigation in this country.”