Families say police showed ‘unconscious bias’ towards driver who killed two eight-year-olds in Wimbledon prep school crash – because she was a wealthy white woman in £70,000 car

Relatives have claimed police were biased against the driver who killed two eight-year-old girls in the crash because she was a wealthy white woman who owned a car worth £70,000.

A group of 11 Scotland Yard officers are being investigated for alleged racism over their investigation into a car crash that killed two schoolchildren.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both aged eight, were killed when a Land Rover Defender left the road and smashed through the fence at Wimbledon’s Work Preparatory School while children and staff were enjoying an end-of-year tea party.

On the morning of July 6, 2023, nine children and three adults were seriously injured.

The driver, Claire Freemantle, was not charged with any crime after telling police she was having an epileptic seizure for the first time and had no memory of the crash.

The Crown Prosecution Service is now considering whether to press charges in the controversial case, which could see Ms Freemantle sentenced to death for dangerous driving.

It has now been revealed that families of both the girls and other surviving victims have lodged complaints with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) alleging ‘unconscious bias’ and that police officers were more likely to believe a wealthy white woman at the wheel.

It is alleged that ‘confirmation bias’ based on the driver’s race and status led investigators not to question the woman’s account.

Eight-year-old Nuria Sajjad also died from her injuries when the car crashed into the school fence.

Land Rover Defender at the scene of the accident

The force decided to reopen the case in October 2024 after a serious case review revealed significant flaws in the way officers conducted the initial investigation, including the assessment of medical evidence that led to the case being dropped.

One of the key issues in the original research was the diagnosis of epilepsy, which is known to be extremely difficult to detect without brain scans taken shortly after the seizure and a detailed evaluation of the patient’s medical history.

The internal Met review also criticized missed opportunities by the original investigation team at the Road Traffic Collisions Unit who failed to interview key witnesses at the scene about the driver’s behavior in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

When the case was later reopened, police asked anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward to help them understand whether the driver’s behavior was consistent with his diagnosis.

In January, Ms Freemantle was arrested again on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

The defendant, who lives in a £4 million house nearby with her investment banker husband, had previously expressed her “deepest sadness” over the deaths but said she “did not remember” the accident.

Four serving police officers and one former police officer are currently under investigation on suspicion of gross misconduct over their handling of the original investigation.

The IOPC will examine allegations that officers ‘provided false and misleading information to those affected’. It is also investigating ‘whether officers’ treatment of those affected was influenced by their race’.

The ranks of the four officers under investigation include commander, detective chief inspector, detective sergeant and police officer.

Two detective officers are also being investigated for misconduct.

The CPS has received a full dossier of evidence from the Met and is now expected to decide within a few weeks whether charges will be brought.

Nuria’s parents, Smera Chohan and Sajjad Butt, said in an interview with the BBC that the Met had “failed” them.

Ms Chohan said: ‘I hope the IOPC will accommodate this. I really want to understand why I was subjected to such cruel, unfair and inhumane treatment.

‘I want the guardians of the law and the system to come and tell me. I don’t want any favoritism, any tolerance, or any sympathy.

‘I just say ‘do it right’. ‘It’s been hanging for three years and it’s not right.’

Ms. Chohan will undergo surgery on her legs for the fifth time after being injured in the accident that killed her daughter.

Mr Butt said he and his family were ‘unprotected’ by police and ‘left out in the cold’.

The families of both Nuria and Selena said in a statement on Tuesday that their lives were “irreparably shattered.”

The letter said: ‘The past 33 months have been incredibly difficult for everyone affected, including those who lost family, were seriously injured or witnessed the horrific event, and we are still struggling to come to terms with what happened on that fateful day.

‘We have always maintained that the initial investigation was flawed. When the Crown Prosecution Service took the decision to take no further action against the driver on 26 June 2024, we submitted that the initial investigation was weak and we were not satisfied that the investigation had been conducted fully.

‘We are encouraged that the Independent Police Conduct Office has launched an investigation.

‘We have always sought the truth and will continue to advocate for full clarity about what happened on that devastating day and the subsequent actions taken by the Metropolitan Police. The truth must come to light.’