Police meet to reopen investigation into Wimbledon school crash | London

The Metropolitan Police will reopen its investigation into last year’s training breach at Wimbledon to pursue further lines of inquiry.

Two children were killed and another injured when a Land Rover left the road and plowed into Study Prep School in Wimbledon last July.

The initial investigation concluded when prosecutors determined that the driver, Claire Freemantle, would not be charged because she had suffered an epileptic seizure.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, died in the collision after Freemantle’s Land Rover crashed through their school’s fence during an end-of-year picnic.

After the CPS announced its decision not to charge Freemantle, she expressed her “deepest sadness” over the incident and said she had “no recollection of what happened.”

The girls’ parents – as well as the school community – were open about the police’s work in this case.

In a joint statement earlier this year, Nuria’s parents, Sajjad Butt and Smera Chohan, and Selena’s parents, Franky Lau and Jessie Deng, said they were “not convinced” that the Met had conducted a thorough investigation.

A review of police handling of the case found significant failings in the way officers conducted the initial investigation, including missed opportunities to interview witnesses about the driver’s behavior immediately after the accident. The medical evidence will also be re-examined.

Commenting on the decision to reopen the investigation, a police spokesman said: “The review has identified a number of lines of inquiry which require further consideration and therefore the investigation will now be reopened.”

“The families have been informed of this development and we will continue to meet with them to keep up to date with the progress of the investigation. We know that this has been and continues to be a really difficult time for them. We believe this further investigative work will answer all questions raised by the affected families.

“This further investigation is being carried out by an accredited senior investigating officer and a team with experience in murder investigations.”

Nuria’s father, Saj Butt, told the Mail: “No parent should ever have to endure the pain that my wife Smera and I have experienced over the last 15 months.”

“The initial investigation appeared to be flawed and left so many questions unanswered. Now, as we put our lives back on hold, we can only welcome the news that a new investigation has been launched with a new, specialized and more experienced team.

“While we know that nothing will bring Nuria back, we hope that this new investigation will finally uncover what really happened on July 6, 2023, and will finally allow us and the hundreds of others affected to begin some kind of healing process.” ”

A decision was not expected until October 30, when the families have a scheduled meeting with police to discuss the review. At this time the Met is expected to provide further details on the reasons for reopening the investigation.

Trevor Stirling, the lawyer representing the affected families, said: “I welcome this decision because ultimately it’s not just about doing justice, but also about seeing justice being done.” So the trials must be carried out properly and it is quite clear here that this was not the case. We just want it to be done right and the right decision to be made.”