Anne Sacoolas, 45, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in a traffic accident near a US military base

Anne Sacoolas, the American woman accused of killing 19-year-old British motorcyclist Harry Dunn in a traffic accident near a US military base, pleaded guilty to causing his death on Thursday, CNN heard via an audio link of the court proceedings.

Britain’s attempt to extradite Sacoolas to face charges of causing death by dangerous driving was declined by US authorities, and the incident has sparked some tension between the two countries.

The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. She pleaded not guilty to a charge of death by dangerous driving, but UK prosecutors decided against pursuing the dangerous driving charge against her.

High Court judge Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb, who presided over the proceedings, said Sacoolas is now a “convicted offender” and ordered she be disqualified from driving in the United Kingdom.

The family wore ties and scarves to court in remembrance of the 19-year-old. They said that they were relieved after Sacoolas admitted her guilt.

It was the first time the family saw Sacoolas in court. Charlotte Charles said that she was walking towards the court when she was still unsure if she would appear.

Charles said her family has accepted Sacoolas’ guilty plea to the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving because they “didn’t wish to separate her from her children.”

She said she drove on the wrong side of the road and hit a motorcyclist outside a US military base in England.

Anne Sacoolas, 77, is not going to lose her son, Harry or Niall, he said in a court filing

Charlotte Charles told the court that her son’s death would not be in vain and that she had spent more than three years campaigning for justice.

Charles said that Harry’s twin, who is also named Niall, is hit very hard and remains a cause for concern. I lost two sons,Harry and Niall, when they died. He’s a shell of himself. I’m afraid he’ll do something bad one day. and I’ll lose him too for good.”

Sacoolas was driving 350 meters on the wrong side of a road for 26 seconds, colliding with Dunn, who was thrown onto the front of her car, while his motorcycle caught fire.

Justice Cheema-Grubb said that she was told that her appearance at court in the UK would place a US interest in danger, according to documents.

The lawyer for Sacoolas told the court that she did not ask for immunity from prosecution and that she did not play any part in the extradition process. Cooper says the decision to not extradite was made by the US government.

He read a statement on Sacoolas’ behalf, saying she was “deeply sorry for the pain I have caused” and that “not a day goes by” where Harry Dunn isn’t on her mind.

She said that she was happy to have fulfilled her promise. Anne Sacoolas has a criminal history that goes on for the rest of her life. She told the reporters that she and her family were not invested in the sentence the judge was going to hand down. “For us it was all about doing the right thing, getting through the UK justice system.”