Woman charged over fatal London school crash
7 minutes agoLucy ManningSpecial correspondent
Selana Lau’s familyThe driver of the car which crashed into the grounds of a south-west London school in 2023 killing two eight-year-old school girls has been charged by prosecutors.
Claire Freemantle drove the Land Rover that went through the railings of The Study Prep school in Wimbledon as pupils and their parents were celebrating the last day of term on the lawn.
Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad were killed and others were injured.
Freemantle was charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
In a statement the girls’ parents said they were one step closer to finding out why their children died.
In a statement, the girls’ parents said they were one step closer to finding out why their children died.
“On 6 July 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.”
PA MediaWhen the Metropolitan Police carried out its first investigation, it ended in June 2024, with the driver Freemantle facing no charges as prosecutors said she had had an undiagnosed epileptic seizure.
She expressed deepest sorrow but said she had no recollection of what happened.
The parents of the girls complained that the Met Police had carried out a “flawed investigation” and later in 2024 the force reopened its investigation and said a number of lines of enquiry required further examination.
Freemantle was re-arrested in January 2025 on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating 11 Metropolitan Police officers for their handling of the initial inquiry into the crash including four serving officers and one former detective constable who are being investigated for possible gross misconduct.
Now nearly three years after their children were killed the parents of the girls will be able to see the woman who drove the car in court. They have always said they just wanted answers as to why their daughters were killed.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk