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Woman Charged in 2023 Wimbledon School Crash That Killed Two Girls
Prosecutors have charged Claire Freemantle with causing death by dangerous driving in the 2023 incident at a London school where two 8-year-old girls died. The Metropolitan Police reopened the investigation after discovering new evidence and apologized for its initial handling. Freemantle is set to appear in court on June 16 and plans to plead not guilty.
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London prosecutors charged a woman with causing death by dangerous driving in connection with a 2023 crash at a primary school that killed two 8-year-old girls and injured several others. Claire Freemantle, 49, faces two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The charges stem from the July 6, 2023, incident at The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon, south London, where Freemantle drove a Land Rover through a fence into an end-of-term tea party. The victims, Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both 8, died from their injuries.
More than a dozen people were treated at the scene, and 10, including several pupils, were hospitalized. The Metropolitan Police announced the charges on May 1, 2026, after reopening the investigation based on new evidence.
Freemantle issued a statement expressing deepest sorrow but said she had no recollection of the events. The decision followed the Metropolitan Police's first investigation, which concluded without charges. Parents of the deceased girls complained about the handling, describing the probe as flawed.
Their challenge led to the case being reopened later in 2024, with additional lines of inquiry examined. Freemantle was re-arrested in January 2025 on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Commander Charmain Brenyah stated that the force would fundamentally reset how it investigates fatal and serious collisions to improve support for victims and families.
The police referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is investigating 11 officers, including four serving and one former, for possible gross misconduct in the initial inquiry. Freemantle's lawyers said she would deny all charges and question the reversal of the original decision.
They described her as utterly devastated, noting she is a mother of school-aged children and will be tortured for life by the loss and injury caused. Freemantle is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 16, 2026.
