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Driver Charged in Wimbledon School Crash That Killed Two Girls
Claire Freemantle, 49, has been charged with causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving in a 2023 crash that killed two eight-year-old girls at a London school. The charges follow a reversal of an earlier decision not to prosecute, prompted by criticism from the victims' families and a police review. Freemantle is set to appear in court on June 16.
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Claire Freemantle, 49, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving following a collision at The Study Prep school in Wimbledon on 6 July 2023. Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both aged eight, died in the crash. Freemantle is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 June. Her lawyers said she intends to plead not guilty.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the Land Rover driven by Freemantle struck a fence before hitting the school building while an end-of-term tea party was taking place. Several other people were injured. In June 2024 the Metropolitan Police announced that no further action would be taken against Freemantle after an investigation concluded she had suffered an epileptic seizure at the wheel.
The force later revisited the case. In January Freemantle was arrested and subsequently released under investigation. The Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Review Group examined the original investigation. Following that review, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges.
Commander Charmain Brenyah, who leads the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said the force had apologised for the initial handling of the case and was “resetting how we investigate fatal and serious collisions”.
The parents of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau said in a statement that they had “from the very beginning… demanded one thing: the truth about why our daughters were killed”. They stated that findings from the Specialist Crime Review Group and the emergence of new evidence over the last two years supported their position.
The parents said the charging decision brought them “one step closer to understanding what happened”.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is conducting a separate investigation into allegations that officers provided false and misleading information to the victims’ families. Four serving officers, including a commander and a detective chief inspector, are under investigation for gross misconduct. The IOPC review includes claims of racism.
