A woman has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a four-wheel drive crashed into a primary school in south-west London, killing two eight-year-old girls. Claire Freemantle, 49, 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 Preparatory school in Wimbledon in July 2023.
The victims, Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, died as the school celebrated the last day of the summer term. Freemantle is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 June, where her lawyers have indicated she will plead not guilty.
Investigation Controversy
The families of the girls have criticized the Metropolitan Police for their handling of the case. In June 2024, the force stated that the driver had suffered an epileptic seizure and would not face criminal charges. However, Freemantle was rearrested and released under investigation in January 2025.
In a statement after the charges were announced on Friday, Freemantle's lawyers said there were "serious questions to be answered" regarding the reversal of the initial decision not to charge her.
Police Misconduct Probe
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating officers for alleged racism in their handling of the case. The watchdog previously said it was probing allegations that officers provided "false and misleading information" to the families after complaints about the investigation's standard. Four serving officers, including a commander and a detective chief inspector, are being investigated for gross misconduct.
