Driver who killed two schoolgirls in Wimbledon crash charged as original decision reversed

Susanna Siddell
Fri, 01 May 2026 10:51:56 +0000

A driver who killed two schoolgirls in a Wimbledon car crash has been charged after the original decision was reversed.

Claire Freemantle, 49, has been charged with causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving after two eight-year-old girls were killed.

A Land Rover crashed into a fence and then hit The Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south London back in July 2023.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died in the incident while their school was celebrating the last day of term with a tea party before the summer holidays.

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Freemantle will plead not guilty to the charges when she appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 16, her lawyers have said.

The Metropolitan Police was criticised by the victims' families after the force said the driver had suffered an epileptic seizure while driving and would face no criminal charges in June 2024.

Last January, Freemantle was arrested again and released under investigation.

After, her lawyers said there were "serious questions to be answered" over why they had changed their decision to not charge the woman.

The police force apologised for its initial handling of the crash, as well as the "impact on those affected".

It said it would "fundamentally be resetting how the Metropolitan Police investigates fatal and serious collisions".

In a statement, Commander Charmain Brenyah, who leads the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: "This will ensure our responses to incidents of this nature are more effective, providing better support and outcomes for victims and their families."

Currently, the Independent Office for Police Conduct is carrying out a review of its officers for alleged racism in the case.

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The complaints watchdog said it was investigating claims that officers offered up "false and misleading information" to the victims' families.

In total, four serving officers, including a commander and a detective chief inspector, are being investigated for gross misconduct.

In a statement, the girls' parents said their position was "vindicated" by the Metropolitan Police's reversal.

They said: "On July 6 2023, our lives were torn apart by an unthinkable tragedy. For almost three years, we have endured unimaginable pain alongside all those affected. We are still living with the consequences.

"In June 2024, we rejected the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to take no further action because we did not believe that decision had been made on the full facts. We were right to challenge that decision.

"The Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Review Group's findings, the reopening of the investigation, and the need to obtain extensive new evidence over the last two years, have all vindicated our position.

"From the very beginning, we have demanded one thing: the truth about why our daughters were killed.

"We have lived every day since then in torment — without peace, without answers, and without accountability.

"Despite overwhelming grief, we have been forced to fight for the most basic clarity about what happened.

"With the decision to charge Freemantle, the case will now proceed to trial. We are one step closer to understanding why Nuria and Selena were killed and why so many others were harmed."