THE US has rejected a request by the UK government to extradite the wife of a diplomat who was involved in a car crash that killed a teenager, said Britain today.

The case of Anna Sacoolas, 42, has been a thorn in London’s close relations with Washington, stirring up debate over the limits of diplomatic immunity in cases unrelated to national security.

“We are disappointed in this decision, which appears to be a denial of justice,” said a spokesman for the Home Office.

“We are urgently considering our options.”

Briton Harry Dunn died last August when his motorbike collided with a car driving on the wrong side of the road near an airbase in Northamptonshire, central England, used by the US military as a communications hub.

Sacoolas admitted last October to being the driver, but has cited immunity while refusing to return to Britain to face justice, as demanded by Dunn’s parents.

The parents of the 19-year-old were informed of US State Secretary Mike Pompeo’s decision in a phone call with their MP yesterday, said a family spokesman.

The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. – AFP, January 24, 2020.