British-Indian Nuria Sajjad
A woman has been charged in connection with a tragic car crash that killed two eight-year-old girls, including Indian-origin schoolgirl Nuria Sajjad, when a car plowed into celebrations at a London primary school.Claire Freemantle, 49, of Edge Hill, Wimbledon, faces two counts of dangerous driving causing death and seven counts of dangerous driving causing serious injury following the incident at Wimbledon Learning Preparatory School in July 2023.She is expected to plead not guilty when she appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 16, according to her legal team.The incident occurred during end-of-year celebrations during the summer term when a Land Rover drove through a fence and onto the campus. Nuria Sajjad and her eight-year-old classmate Selena Lau were killed, and a dozen others were injured.Freemantle was initially investigated, but police said in June 2024 that she suffered a seizure and would not face charges. That decision was later overturned after the victims’ families raised concerns, prompting a reinvestigation.She was arrested again in January last year and released under investigation.Her lawyers challenged the reversal of an earlier decision to take no further action. Her legal team issued a statement saying there were “serious questions that need to be answered” as to why the case was reopened.Mark Jones, a criminal defense partner at Payne Hicks Beach LLP, said she will be “suffering for the rest of her life from the horrific loss and injury” and is “utterly shocked” by what happened.He added: “We trust the CPS’s initial decision [Crown Prosecution Service] Under these tragic circumstances, this policy was the right one, and there are serious questions to be answered about the reasons for its reversal today. “The Metropolitan Police acknowledged flaws in its initial handling of the case. The company said in a statement: “We deeply regret the way we initially handled this incident and the impact it had on those affected.It added: “We must now allow criminal prosecutions and independent investigations to proceed smoothly. However, following a review of the Roads and Transport Policing Command, we will fundamentally restructure the way the Met investigates fatal and serious collisions.”Separately, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the conduct of 11 Metropolitan Police staff in connection with the investigation, including allegations that officers provided misleading information to the family and failed to handle the case. The watchdog is also investigating claims of possible racial bias in the way the case was handled.
