Latest news with #SmeraChohan
Times
7 days ago
- Times
Parents of girls killed in Land Rover crash ‘still waiting for truth'
The families of two eight-year-old girls who were killed when a Land Rover ploughed into a tea party at their school have said they 'remain committed to uncovering the truth' two years on. 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.'
The Independent
7 days ago
- The Independent
Parents of two girls killed in Wimbledon school crash ‘still waiting for answers'
The grieving parents of two girls who were killed in a crash at a school in Wimbledon have said they are ' still waiting for answers ' two years on. Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both aged eight, died after being hit by a four-by-four that crashed into the Study Prep school in Wimbledon on 6 July 2023. The incident happened while the two girls were celebrating with their classmates and parents at an end-of-term tea party. At a remembrance event on Sunday marking two years since the tragedy, Nuria's mother Smera Chohan said they remain 'committed' to finding answers for their daughters. "We have had to fight very hard - harder than any victim should ever have had to - but we remain committed to uncovering the truth about what happened,' she said, according to the BBC. "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." Last summer, prosecutors said the driver of the car, Claire Freemantle, had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel and would not face criminal charges. It was found she had never had an epileptic seizure before and was in good health before the crash. In a statement to the PA news agency at the time, she expressed her 'deepest sorrow' and said she had 'no recollection of what took place' after losing consciousness. She was rearrested in January after an internal review was launched last year prompted by 'concerns' raised by the families of the two girls, who said they remained 'unconvinced' that the investigation was conducted thoroughly. But at the event on Sunday, which was attended by hundreds of people from the local community, Mr Lau echoed Ms Chohan plea for answers and told the BBC: "We are still waiting, we want a version of events that adds up." Helen Lowe, who was then the school's headteacher, 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."
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
Mum's heartbreaking call for answers 2 years after girls, 8, were killed when Land Rover ploughed into Wimbledon school
THE PARENTS of two eight-year-old girls who were killed when a Land Rover crashed into their school have vowed to "uncover the truth" of what happened that day two years on from the tragic incident. Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau both died after the tragedy at The Study Prep School, in Wimbledon, South West London on July 6, 2023. The horror unfolded as a Land Rover Defender smashed through a fence while school children and staff were having a tea-party outside on the last day of term. More than fifteen others were injured in the crash, including a seven-month-old baby girl. Speaking at a remembrance event on Sunday, Nuria's mother Smera Chohan said: "We have had to fight very hard - harder than any victim should ever have had to - but we remain committed to uncovering the truth about what happened." In January, the Metropolitan Police rearrested arrested driver Claire Freemantle 48, on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She remains in custody while investigations continue. The 48-year-old was originally released after an initial investigation by the Roads and Transport Policing Command, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), concluded she should face no further action. Freemantle claimed she had an epileptic seizure behind the wheel and faced no charges. They added that there was no evidence Ms Freemantle had ever suffered a similar seizure before and she had no previously diagnosed medical condition. A review was carried out by the Specialist Crime Review Group (SCRG). It highlighted issues with how officers carried out the initial investigation. Family, friends & Liverpool teammates gather for Diogo Jota & brother Andre's funeral in Portugal after tragic car crash It was revealed there was a key problem with establishing the evidence of an epileptic seizure, and diagnosis without brain scans. "Our main priority is to ensure the lines of inquiry identified by the review are progressed. I would urge people to avoid speculation," Det Supt Lewis Basford said. At the memorial on Sunday, hundreds of people from the local area joined Nuria's mother Smera Chohan, her father Sajjad Butt and Selena's parents Franky Lau and Jessie Deng. Two benches dedicated to the victims' memories were decorated with flowers and messages and a two minutes' silence was observed. Following a two minutes' silence - one minute for each girl - Ms Chohan delivered an emotional speech. "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," Ms Chohan said. "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." Selena's father added: "We are still waiting, we want a version of events that adds up." Helen Lowe, who was the school's headteacher 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." To provide information you can contact the major incident room on 0207 175 0793, call 101 quoting CAD 6528/27Jan, or message @MetCC on X providing the CAD reference. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online. 4 4
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Parents of girls killed in school crash 'still waiting for answers'
The parents of two eight-year-old girls who were killed when a car crashed into a London school say they are still waiting for answers two years later. Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died when a Land Rover ran into an end-of-term tea party at The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon, on 6 July 2023. Speaking at a remembrance event on Sunday, Nuria's mother Smera Chohan said: "We have had to fight very hard - harder than any victim should ever have had to - but we remain committed to uncovering the truth about what happened." The event on Wimbledon Common, a short walk from the school, marked two years to the day since the girls died. Driver rearrested over girls' school crash deaths Woman not charged over girls' school crash deaths Last year the driver of the car, Claire Freemantle, 48, said she had "no recollection of what took place". She also expressed her "deepest sorrow for the families who have suffered such dreadful loss and injury". Ms Freemantle was arrested at the scene of the crash in 2023 but last June the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it would not charge her. They said she had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel, which caused her to lose control of the vehicle that then crashed into the school. They added that there was no evidence Ms Freemantle had ever suffered a similar seizure before and she had no previously diagnosed medical condition. However, in January she was rearrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. after the Metropolitan Police said it had reviewed its investigation. Det Supt 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." At the time, the girls' parents welcomed this and said the reopened investigation should be carried out "in the pursuit of truth and the full facts". At Sunday's memorial event they expressed dismay at having to wait so long for answers. They said they wanted someone to be held accountable. Hundreds of people from the local community joined Ms Chohan, Sajjad Butt (Nuria's father), as well as Selena's parents Franky Lau and Jessie Deng, for the memorial event. Members of the emergency services also participated in the moment of reflection and remembrance. Two benches created in the girls' memory were adorned with floral tributes and messages. Following a two minutes' silence - one minute for each girl - Ms Chohan delivered an emotional speech. "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." Mr Lau said: "We are still waiting, we want a version of events that adds up." Helen Lowe, who was the school's headteacher 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 current headteacher, described the quality of the new police investigation, which was launched in October, as having "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." The Metropolitan Police 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. "Anyone with information is asked to call the major incident room on 0207 175 0793, call 101 quoting CAD 6528/27Jan, or message @MetCC on X providing the CAD reference." Fatal school crash parents search for answers Pupil killed in crash adored and loved - family Girl, 8, dies after car crashes into primary school
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Grieving parents 'still waiting for answers' after Wimbledon school crash
The parents of two eight-year-old girls who were killed when a car crashed into a London school say they are still waiting for answers two years Sajjad and Selena Lau died when a Land Rover ran into an end-of-term tea party at The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon, on 6 July at a remembrance event on Sunday, Nuria's mother Smera Chohan said: "We have had to fight very hard - harder than any victim should ever have had to - but we remain committed to uncovering the truth about what happened."The event on Wimbledon Common, a short walk from the school, marked two years to the day since the girls died. Last year the driver of the car, Claire Freemantle, 48, said she had "no recollection of what took place".She also expressed her "deepest sorrow for the families who have suffered such dreadful loss and injury".Ms Freemantle was arrested at the scene of the crash in 2023 but last June the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it would not charge said she had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel, which caused her to lose control of the vehicle that then crashed into the added that there was no evidence Ms Freemantle had ever suffered a similar seizure before and she had no previously diagnosed medical condition. However, in January she was rearrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. after the Metropolitan Police said it had reviewed its Supt 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."At the time, the girls' parents welcomed this and said the reopened investigation should be carried out "in the pursuit of truth and the full facts".At Sunday's memorial event they expressed dismay at having to wait so long for answers. They said they wanted someone to be held of people from the local community joined Ms Chohan, Sajjad Butt (Nuria's father), as well as Selena's parents Franky Lau and Jessie Deng, for the memorial event. Members of the emergency services also participated in the moment of reflection and benches created in the girls' memory were adorned with floral tributes and a two minutes' silence - one minute for each girl - Ms Chohan delivered an emotional speech."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."Mr Lau said: "We are still waiting, we want a version of events that adds up." Helen Lowe, who was the school's headteacher 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 current headteacher, described the quality of the new police investigation, which was launched in October, as having "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."The Metropolitan Police 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."Anyone with information is asked to call the major incident room on 0207 175 0793, call 101 quoting CAD 6528/27Jan, or message @MetCC on X providing the CAD reference."
