A 49-year-old woman behind the wheel of a car that crashed into a London school killing two eight-year-old girls, including Indian-origin Nuria Sajjad, was on Friday charged with dangerous driving following a reinvestigation of the case.
Claire Freemantle was involved in a collision at the Study Prep School in Wimbledon that led to the death of Indian-origin schoolgirl Nuria and her schoolmate Serena Lau, both eight years old at the time, in July 2023.
An initial investigation into the crash had concluded against any charges in what was believed to be a freak accident.
“The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Claire Freemantle, 49, with two offences of causing death by dangerous driving and seven offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving,” said David Malone, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for London North.
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“This charging decision was made after the Metropolitan Police reopened their investigation into the collision, which led to significant new evidence being passed to us for consideration. Following this review, our prosecutors worked to establish that there is now sufficient evidence to bring this case to court, and it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings,” he said.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Freemantle has been informed of the charges by post and will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on June 16.
“These charges follow a complex and rigorous reinvestigation by detectives. There is an ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into the first investigation, which we continue to fully support,” said Commander Charmain Brenyah, who leads the Met Police’s Roads and Transport Policing Command.
“While it is right that this matter be independently scrutinised, we are sorry for how we initially dealt with the incident and for the impact on those affected.
“However, following a review of the Roads and Transport Policing Command, we will be fundamentally resetting how the Met investigates fatal and serious collisions. This will ensure our responses to incidents of this nature are more effective, providing better support and outcomes for victims and their families,” she said.
Nuria’s mother Smera Chohan, who was also injured in the crash, and her father Sajjad Butt were among those who had sought answers over the lengthy delays in the investigation into the incident. Students and their families were in the school grounds celebrating the end of term when the car suddenly crashed into the party.
The Met’s Specialist Crime Review Group reviewed the initial police investigation, which identified further lines of enquiry, and a second investigation was launched by the Specialist Crime Command in October 2024.
The team reinvestigating the collision identified some issues relating to the first investigation, which led to the IOPC investigating complaints against 11 officers.
“We know this incident has had a profound impact on the wider community. However, we remind all concerned that proceedings against the defendant are now active and she has a right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings,” the CPS cautioned.