What we know as driver arrested over Wimbledon school crash that killed two girls

Claire Freemantle was rearrested on Tuesday after bereaved families criticised the initial police investigation.

A Land Rover Defender is seen inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon, south London. A girl has died and a woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a car crashed into the girls' prep school building. Officers, firefighters and paramedics, including London's Air Ambulance, responded to the incident at around 9.54am on Thursday. Picture date: Thursday July 6, 2023. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
A Land Rover Defender inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon. (Getty Images)

The driver of a 4×4 that ploughed into a primary school killing two eight-year-old girls has been released on bail pending further investigations.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died after a crash at the Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on July 6 2023, where students had been celebrating the last day of the summer term.

Claire Freemantle, 48, was rearrested on Tuesday after bereaved families criticised the police investigation into the tragedy.

The Metropolitan Police said last June she had suffered an epileptic seizure and would face no criminal charges. But families said they were unconvinced the investigation had been carried out thoroughly and in October, the force said it would reopen its inquiry.

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Freemantle is due to report to a police station in late April.

Pupils at the Study Prep school were attending an end-of-term tea party on the morning of 6 July 2023 when a gold-coloured Land Rover Defender crashed into the school's grounds on Camp Road.

Police were called at 9:54am to reports that the car had smashed through a fence and into a school building.

Several people were injured including a seven-month-old girl, who was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

London UK. 7 July 2023 .A woman views the flowers  placed by wellwishers and mourners at the gates of The Wilberforce  House The Study Prep School in Wimbledon, south west London a day after a Land Rover crashed  at the school which killed a  girl aged  8,  and injured 15 others. Credit amer ghazzal/Alamy Live News
Floral tributes left at the gates of the Study Prep School. (Alamy)

The injured adults were parents or carers and not staff at the school. Smera Chohan, Nuria’s mother, has had to learn to walk again after she suffered a collision with the 4×4.

Freemantle, then aged 46, from Wimbledon, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She was taken to hospital and her condition was assessed as non-life threatening.

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Last summer, prosecutors found Freemantle had never had an epileptic seizure before and was in good health before the crash.

In a statement at the time, Freemantle expressed her “deepest sorrow” and said she had “no recollection of what took place” after losing consciousness.

Eight-year-old Selena Lau was the first person confirmed to have died in the crash, described by members of the community as a "shining star".

Issuing a picture of her beaming in her school uniform, her family said in a brief statement through the Metropolitan Police: “Selena was an intelligent and cheeky girl adored and loved by everyone.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau Wimbledon Prep victims
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both aged eight, died in the crash. (Met Police/Family handout)

Three days after the crash the Met Police confirmed eight-year-old Nuria Sajjad had also been killed. At the time, her family said: “Nuria was the light of our lives. She embodied joy, kindness and generosity and she was loved by all around her.

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“We would like to thank the efforts of the emergency services, all the extraordinary staff at St George’s Hospital, the parents of Nuria’s class fellows and staff of the Study Prep for all they have done to ease Nuria’s journey."

Unconvinced that the initial investigation had been carried out thoroughly, the parents of both children continued fighting for answers.

“One thing that we are very clear on is we will not rest, we will not go away until we have answers because we’ve got to stand at her resting spot and tell her that mama and baba tried, and mama and baba are fighting because she didn’t deserve this," Nuria’s mother told LBC Radio.

An internal review was launched after “concerns” were raised by the two families, who welcomed an announcement in October last year, with Selena’s mother Jessie Deng, saying she hoped it would bring an end to “this ongoing nightmare”.

FILE - Police officers set up cordon line as a car crashed into a primary school building in Wimbledon, London, Thursday, July 6, 2023. British police say a second 8-year-old girl has died after a car crashed into the elementary school. The Metropolitan Police force said Nuria Sajjad died in a London hospital on Sunday, July 9, 2023, three days after the crash. Another 8-year-old, Selena Lau, died Thursday after a Land Rover crashed through a fence and hit a building at the Study Prep School for girls. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
Police officers set up cordon by the school grounds. (Alamy)

The Met Police said at the time: “The review has identified a number of lines of enquiry that require further examination and, as such, the investigation will now be reopened.

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“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.”

Police have appealed for witnesses or individuals with information in the local area who have not previously come forward to contact them.

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