A woman has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after two eight-year-old girls were killed when a car crashed into a primary school in Wimbledon in July 2023. Claire Freemantle, 46, faces two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following the incident at The Study Prep school.
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died in the collision, which occurred as the school celebrated the last day of the summer term. Freemantle's lawyers have indicated she will plead not guilty when she appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 June.
The charges come after the girls' families criticised the Metropolitan Police's investigation. In June 2024, the force said the driver had suffered an epileptic seizure and would face no criminal charges. However, Freemantle was rearrested and released under investigation in January 2025. Her lawyers have questioned why the decision not to charge was reversed.
The families of Nuria and Selena said they were "right to challenge" the initial decision. In a statement, they said: "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."
The Metropolitan Police apologised for how it initially dealt with the incident and said it would "fundamentally reset" how it investigates fatal and serious collisions. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating officers for alleged racism and gross misconduct in the handling of the case.
