Woman charged over school crash that killed two young girls | UK | News
In the incident that killed two 8-year-old girls, a woman who plowed her car into the schoolyard during a summer tea party was accused of causing the girls’ deaths almost three years later.
Claire Freemantle, 49, was charged with causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving after two eight-year-old girls, Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, were killed when a 44-passenger vehicle crashed into a primary school in Wimbledon, south London, in July 2023.
Ms Freemantle will not plead guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving and there are “serious questions to be answered” about why the decision not to charge her was reversed, her lawyers said.
He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, June 16.
Selena Lau (Image: PA)
Commander Charmain Brenyah, who leads the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “We have kept the families informed of this development and our thoughts and sympathies remain with them.
“These charges follow a complex and meticulous re-investigation by detectives.
“There is an ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the initial investigation, which we continue to fully support.
“Whilst it is right that this matter be investigated independently, we regret how we initially dealt with the incident and the impact it has had on those affected.
Nuria Sajjad. (Image: PA)
“We must now allow both the criminal proceedings and the independent investigation to take their course. However, following the Roads and Transport Policing Command’s review, we will fundamentally reset the way the Met investigates fatal and serious collisions. This will ensure our response to such incidents is more effective and provides better support and outcomes for victims and their families.”
An initial investigation into the collision by the Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) resulted in an order from the CPS in June 2024 that Freemantle face no further action.
After Nuria and Selena’s families expressed concerns about the outcome, it was agreed that the Met’s Specialist Crime Review Group (SCRG) would review the investigation. Further lines of investigation were identified and it was then decided to re-open an investigation.
Flower mementos left at the scene in 2023 (Image: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock)
A second investigation was launched by the Specialist Crime Command in October 2024.
In July 2025, the Met received a complaint from families regarding various aspects of the initial investigation. Separately, the team re-investigating the collision also identified a number of issues with the initial investigation during their investigation. Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS),
The IOPC confirmed it would investigate the matter independently.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the IOPC is investigating complaints against 11 police officers.
Four serving officers and one former officer were sent notices that their conduct was being investigated to the level of gross misconduct. These officers include the commander, detective chief inspector, detective sergeant, police officer and former detective inspector.
Two other police officers (detective police officers) are under investigation for misconduct.
Service of notices does not necessarily mean that fraud investigations will follow.
