The Metropolitan police will reopen their investigation into last year’s Wimbledon school crash to pursue further lines of inquiry.
Two children were killed and another injured when a Land Rover veered off the road and ploughed into the Study prep school in Wimbledon last July.
The initial investigation concluded when the Crown Prosecution Service found that the driver, Claire Freemantle, would not be charged as she had suffered an epileptic seizure.
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, were killed by the collision after Freemantle’s Land Rover smashed through their school’s fence during an end-of-year picnic.
After the CPS announced its decision not to charge Freemantle, she expressed her “deepest sorrow” over the incident and said she had “no recollection of what took place”.
The girls’ parents – along with the school community – have been open in their frustration at the police’s work on the case.
In a joint statement earlier this year Nuria’s parents, Sajjad Butt and Smera Chohan, along with Selena’s parents, Franky Lau and Jessie Deng, said they were “unconvinced” that the Met had carried out a thorough investigation.
A review of the force’s handling of the case is understood to have revealed significant shortfalls in the way officers conducted the initial investigation, including missed opportunities to interview witnesses about the driver’s behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the crash. The medical evidence will also be re-examined.
A police spokesperson said of the decision to reopen the investigation: “The review has identified a number of lines of inquiry that require further examination and, as such, the investigation will now be reopened.
“The families have been updated with this development and we will continue to meet with them to provide updates on the investigation as it progresses. We know this has been and remains a really difficult time for them. We believe this further investigative work will address all questions raised by the families affected.
“This further investigation will be undertaken by an accredited senior investigating officer and team with experience in homicide investigations.”
Nuria’s father, Saj Butt, told the Mail: “No parent should ever have to go through the pain my wife, Smera, and I have experienced over the past 15 months.
“The initial investigation seemed flawed and left so many unanswered questions. Now, as we put our lives on hold again, we can only welcome the news that a new investigation has been launched with a new, specialist and more experienced team.
“While we know nothing will bring Nuria back, we hope this new investigation will finally uncover what really happened on 6 July 2023, and at last allow us, and the hundreds of others affected by what happened, to begin some sort of healing process.”
A decision had not been expected until 30 October, when the families have a scheduled meeting with the police to discuss the review. This is when the Met are expected to give more details on their reasons for reopening the investigation.
Trevor Stirling, the lawyer representing the families affected, said: “I welcome this decision, because ultimately it’s not just about justice being done but being seen to be done. So the processes have to be carried out properly and here it’s quite clear that the process wasn’t. We just want it to be done properly and for the appropriate decision to be taken.”
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