Harry Dunn died in a motorcycle crash in August 2019 (Picture: PA)
The family of Harry Dunn has said they will hold a second funeral after discovering police kept some of his tissue for four and a half years.
Harry was riding a motorcycle in August 2019 when he was killed in a head-on collision with a car outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
The Volvo was being driven on the wrong side of the road by US spy Anne Sacoolas, who was handed an eight-month suspended sentence in December 2022.
Police have now returned part of the 19-year-old’s motorbike and his clothing to his family.
Charlotte Charles, Harry’s mother, said they had been ‘re-traumatised’ by the return of the items, adding that some of her son’s body tissue was found on the clothes.
She said: ‘After Harry died, we asked if we could have his motorbike, clothes and possessions back.
‘It is a way for us to keep connected to our son and we wanted to make a sculpture out of the remains of the bike and to make teddy bears and cushions out of any clothing material that was left for Harry’s young cousins.
‘The police officers told us that everything had been destroyed in the crash as there was a huge explosion. We put it out of our minds therefore.’
Charlotte Charles said she had been told the items had been destroyed in the crash (Picture: PA)
Family spokesman Radd Seiger said: ‘There has clearly been a massive breakdown in protocol and communication on the part of Northamptonshire Police.
‘This poor family have been let down very badly yet again. Why were they told everything was destroyed when it wasn’t?
‘Why were they not told that was not the case until 15 months after the criminal case was concluded?’
Charlotte said Mr Seiger was informed before Christmas that several items survived, including clothing, the helmet, and the frame of the bike, had been frozen and preserved pending the end of the trial in 2022.
She added that the family was ‘having to go through a second cremation service’ as a result of the discovery. It will take place tomorrow.
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A Northamptonshire Police spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the family’s plans to hold a second burial service and have been working closely with the family.
‘Harry’s clothing, helmet and bike were removed from the original collision site in 2019. Recently, police examined the items in order to repatriate them with the family, at which time human remains were subsequently discovered on Harry’s clothing.
‘Working with HM Coroner’s office in Northamptonshire, an officer returned the human remains to a funeral director on 7 February at the request of Harry’s family.
‘The family have now taken possession of all the remaining property from the collision site in preparation for the private family service later this week. We will, of course, continue to support them going forward.’
The force’s Det Chief Supt Emma James added she would soon be meeting the family to ‘ensure complete transparency’.
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