Parents of girls killed in Land Rover crash ‘still waiting for truth'
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died while celebrating the last day of the summer term in the grounds of The Study prep school in Wimbledon, southwest London, after the vehicle smashed through a fence in July 2023.
The driver, Claire Freemantle, 48, was arrested after the incident but in June last year the police said she had experienced an epileptic seizure at the wheel and would face no criminal charges. That decision was criticised by the girls' families, who questioned the thoroughness of the investigation.
In October the Metropolitan Police said they would reopen the investigation after identifying 'lines of inquiry which required further examination'. On Sunday, at a remembrance event on Wimbledon Common, near the school, the girls' families expressed dismay at having to wait so long for answers.
Nuria's mother, Smera Chohan, said the families 'have had to fight very hard — harder than any victim should ever have had to', the BBC reported. 'But we remain committed to uncovering the truth about what happened. We still await answers for what happened on that fateful day … and with all your support, we will continue our fight until we have the answers we deserve.'
She added: 'Nothing is going to make our lives the same again … we were parents. I sometimes don't know if I'm a mother, I need to know why I'm not a mother and Nuria deserved a thorough investigation.'
Lau's father, Franky Lau, said: 'We are still waiting, we want a version of events that adds up.'
Helen Lowe, who was the school's head teacher at the time of the crash, said: 'There are still no answers to what happened on that day, and in that two-year period there have been a number of events which involved awful tragedy for children.
'But the people who perpetrated those events have had to be answerable — and we don't have that, which makes it, for the parents and for us, impossible to move on.'
Sharon Maher, the school's head teacher, said the quality of the new police investigation, which was launched in October, had 'a very different feel'. She added: 'They've taken our questions seriously … it's more thorough, it's detailed, that's all we've ever asked for.'
Freemantle was rearrested in January on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She has expressed her 'deepest sorrow for the families who have suffered such dreadful loss and injury'. Last summer prosecutors said Freemantle had not previously had an epileptic seizure and was in good health before the crash. She is understood to have surrendered her driving licence.
Freemantle was driving away from Wimbledon Common when the £80,000, 3.5-tonne black-and-gold Land Rover mounted a kerb, crashed through a metal fence and collided with a building at the school.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: 'Our main priority is to ensure the lines of inquiry identified by the review are progressed. I would urge people to avoid speculation.'
The Met said: 'Our thoughts are with Nuria and Selena's loved ones at this particularly difficult time. Our investigation continues and we remain in regular contact with the families.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Inquiry launched into government handling of Harry Dunn's death, Lammy announces
David Lammy has launched an independent inquiry into the way the Foreign Office officials handled the death of Harry Dunn in an accident involving a member of the US intelligence community. The 19-year-old was killed when a car driven by Anne Sacoolas hit his motorcycle near the exit to RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019. Ms Sacoolas, who was the wife of a CIA operative working near the airbase, was allowed to leave the country with claims that she was covered by diplomatic immunity. Requests for extradition were initially rejected by the first Donald Trump administration, although the president met Dunn's parents. Sacoolas would later provide videolink evidence but did not return to the UK for trial because it was unlikely to result in a prison sentence. There was criticism over the way the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) handled the case, and whether more could have been done to ensure Sacoolas returned to the UK. The review will be led by Dame Anne Owers DBE, who will examine actions taken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in support of the family of Harry Dunn in the period between 27 August and the end of December 2019. Having promised to undertake a review while sitting as an opposition MP, Mr Lammy has met twice with family members since becoming foreign secretary and committed the government to learning lessons from the tragedy. He said: 'I have the deepest respect for the resolve Harry's family have shown since his tragic death and in launching this independent review, we are honouring the commitments we have made to them. 'I am confident the review into how the case was handled by the previous government has the remit required to properly address the family's concerns and to ensure lessons are learned. 'Having worked previously with Dame Anne Owers on the Lammy Review in 2017, I don't believe anyone is better qualified to undertake this important piece of work.' The mother of Harry Dunn, Charlotte Charles, said: 'We welcome today's formal announcement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that a full review into the handling of Harry's case will now take place. 'We now look forward to working with Dame Anne Owers and doing all we can to support her in this important task. It is our sincere hope that her work will help ensure that no other family is ever treated in the way that ours was. This review is yet another step in our long journey towards ensuring that Harry's loss was not in vain and that the World is a better and safer place.'
BBC News
18 minutes ago
- BBC News
Former Met police officer from Egham made indecent child images
A former Metropolitan Police officer from Surrey will stay on the sex offenders register for life after admitting voyeurism and creating indecent images of a Hargrave, 49, of Egham, had installed a camera in a child's bedroom and bathroom, creating indecent images and who resigned last year, was charged following an investigation in 2023 relating to the victim, who was aged between 12 and 15 at the time. At Guildford Crown Court on Wednesday, Hargrave was given a 13-month prison sentence for voyeurism alongside three months for the indecent images. Both sentences have been suspended for two years. Hargrave, who pleaded guilty to two counts each of voyeurism and of making indecent images of a child, was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention he is subject to an indefinite restraining order against the victim and her was originally charged with six offences but the CPS confirmed that no evidence was offered in respect of two of accelerated misconduct hearing found the former officer, who resigned from the Met Police in August 2024, would have been dismissed without notice had he still been a serving officer.
The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
Moment son jokes about ‘Christmas present from dad' before beating him to death in street and screaming ‘he's dead'
THIS is the chilling moment a son joked about a "Christmas present from dad" before beating him to death in the street. Disturbing CCTV footage revealed how killer John Sarawanskyj bought a bottle of Jack Daniels with his father's card on the morning of his murder. 5 5 5 Sarawanskyj visited VK Saba Wines on Churchill Avenue, in Southport, Merseyside, six times the same day. On his first trip at around 7.45am, he told the shopkeeper: "I've been up all night me." Later that day, Sarawanskyj withdrew £200 using his dad's card, as reported by the Echo. And after returning for the fifth time, the 52-year-old bought a bottle of honey Jack Daniels and said: "That's my Christmas present off my dad. He doesn't know yet. He will do when I get home. He's gonna kill me. Look what I've just got for my Christmas present." CCTV from a property nearby later captured Sarawanskyj yelling in the street "He's dead. He's dead. He's dead". The killer is then heard telling a pal: "He's dead. I'm worried about my dog. What are you worried about him for?" His haunting words came after Sarawanskyj brutally beat his 73-year-old dad to death. Ivan Sarawanskyj was found with "extensive injuries" inside his home on Braemar Avenue on December 22 last year. His son confessed to a neighbour after the horror how he "jumped all over his dad's head". He also callously told the emergency services: "I'm not bothered he's dead. He wasn't a nice man." The father and son had been embroiled in arguments regarding John Sarawanskyj's dog Zeus. He claimed Ivan had killed the America bulldog, which left him "deeply upset". A jury at Liverpool Crown Court heard Sarawanskyj had lied to police several times after his father's fatal injuries. He originally denied being at the property at all, but his argument later changed to self-defence. The 53-year-old was last week sentenced to life, with a minimum of 15-years, after being convicted of his father's murder. Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said the evidence "was overwhelming". "He was an alcoholic and I suspect you were too, despite your evidence to the contrary," he told Sarawanskyj. "The victim was, at the time of his death, a frail old man. He was 73 years old, 5ft5in tall and weighed eight-and-a-half stone. You, in addition to being 21 years younger, were significantly bigger and more robust, 6ft tall and 13st in weight." The judge told how neighbours had often reported hearing shouting between the pair, and how they shared a "difficult relationship". "There was clear evidence during the trial that he had treated you cruelly and brutally during your childhood and early adulthood," the judge continued. "I am sure, on the evidence, that you struck your father with multiple heavy blows to his upper body, as well as to his head. "Internally, he had injuries including serious brain damage. The pathologist's evidence was that the victim lay dying, probably for several hours, in a semi conscious state, before finally succumbing to the injuries that you had inflicted upon him." Speaking about the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Nuttall said: "This was a truly appalling domestic murder of a vulnerable man in his own home. Ivan was described as an elderly, frail old man, who appeared older than his age. Ivan tragically died at the hands of his son in a sustained and abhorrent attack. 'As the court heard, the father-son relationship had deteriorated following the death John's dog. "Despite his refusal to take responsibility for his actions, the jury unanimously found him guilty. 'John Sarawanskyj lost his father due to his own actions, and the choices he made that day have now also cost him his liberty. He will spend a significant period in prison where I hope he reflects on the devastation he has caused.' Det Chief Insp Nuttall added: 'The overwhelming majority of domestic abuse is committed by men against their partners. But this case shows in the starkest possible terms that there are many forms of domestic abuse and that they can have fatal consequences. 'We treat all reports of domestic abuse extremely seriously, targeting offenders and supporting vulnerable victims all year round. 'If you are a victim of domestic abuse or believe a neighbour or someone you know is, please let us know so that we can investigate and take action.' 5 5
