Latest news with #epilepticseizure
Times
06-07-2025
- 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.'
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Driver who crashed into primary school killing two eight-year-old girls could face criminal charges two years on - after new witnesses come forward
A woman driver who crashed into a school killing two eight-year-old girls could face criminal charges, two years on – as significant new witnesses have come forward. Police are preparing a file of evidence for prosecutors to consider charges against Claire Freemantle, 48, who had avoided prosecution after saying she had suffered her first ever epileptic seizure at the wheel. The development comes on the second anniversary of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau dying after the Land Rover Defender veered off the road and smashed through a fence into The Study Prep School in Wimbledon, south-west London, as children and staff were enjoying an end-of-term tea party. Nine children and three adults were also seriously injured in the crash on the morning of July 6, 2023. Today, the grieving families and community are holding a memorial event to commemorate the girls. In a poignant reminder, Nuria and Selena's classmates marked the end of their time at the prep school on Friday before moving on to secondary education. Ms Freemantle was arrested at the scene and investigated by police. But prosecutors decided not to bring any criminal charges in June 2024 after Ms Freemantle said she had suffered an epileptic seizure. In October, the Mail revealed Met Police had decided to reopen the probe after a serious case review uncovered significant flaws in the way officers conducted the initial inquiry, including consideration of medical evidence which led to the case being dropped. One of the key issues in the original investigation was the diagnosis of epilepsy, which is notoriously difficult to detect without brain scans shortly after a seizure, and a detailed consideration of a patient's medical history. The review is also understood to have been critical of missed opportunities by the original investigation team in the Road Traffic Collisions Unit who failed to interview key witnesses at the scene about the driver's behaviour in the immediate aftermath. The case was subsequently reopened and handed to a top detective superintendent from Specialist Crime Command. Police then made a successful appeal for people who witnessed the crash to come forward to help officers understand whether the driver's behaviour was consistent with her diagnosis. In January, Ms Freemantle was rearrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She remains on bail. The bereaved families welcomed the case being reopened 'into the death of our beautiful girls and the harm caused to those injured and who witnessed the tragedy'. Ms Freemantle has said she had no recollection of what happened after losing consciousness. She said last year: 'Since I became aware of the terrible event that took place on July 6, the devastating consequences for all those affected have not left my thoughts and will be with me for the rest of my life. 'I have since been diagnosed as having suffered an epileptic seizure with loss of consciousness. 'This was not a pre-existing condition,' she added. 'As a result of losing consciousness, I have no recollection of what took place.' Met Police said: 'Our thoughts are with Nuria and Selena's loved ones at this time.
