Families Demand Justice as Driver Who Killed Two Girls Faces No Charges ‘Justice Has Not Been Done’

The families of two girls killed after a driver plowed into a London school playground are calling for justice after it was announced the motorist will face no charges.

Claire Freemantle crashed her Land Rover Defender into an end-of-year tea party at The Study girls’ school in Wimbledon in July last year. She was arrested and bailed on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on Wednesday that Freemantle will face no criminal charges after medical experts determined she suffered an epileptic seizure at the wheel.

Freemantle expressed her “deepest sorrow” and said she had “no recollection of what took place” after losing consciousness due to the seizure, via Sky News.

The families of eight-year-old schoolgirls Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau are outraged by the decision. “Justice has neither been done, nor has been seen to be done today,” said their parents, Sajjad Butt, Smera Chohan, Franky Lau, and Jessie Deng. They believe their children were in one of “the safest spaces” and feel the investigation was inadequate, stating, “Nuria and Selena deserved better.”

In a joint statement, the parents emphasized the impact of the tragedy: “All the victims of the events of July 6, 2023, did nothing wrong. We were all in the safest place we could have been outside our own homes. We were celebrating a day filled with joy. Nuria and Selena’s lives were taken in a moment. So many lives were also irreparably shattered at that moment. Hundreds of people – parents, teachers, children, neighbors, friends, and family members – will never lead ‘normal’ lives again. Some of us will never experience joy again.”

The statement continued, “We have tried to keep faith in the systems and institutions that are supposed to protect victims and deliver justice to those affected. We have been disappointed by this system. It is now clear to us that the depth of the process is questionable too. In the absence of any concrete evidence to the contrary, we can only surmise that the investigation has been equally poor.”

The CPS said Freemantle had no prior diagnosis of a medical condition and had never had a seizure before. Jaswant Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor with oversight of the CPS London Homicide Unit, extended condolences to the bereaved families and explained the decision not to pursue criminal charges: “Because there is nothing to suggest the driver could have done anything to predict or prevent this tragedy, it is not in the public interest to pursue a criminal prosecution.”

Freemantle has surrendered her license and cannot reapply to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency until she has been free of seizures for a year.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, in charge of policing for southwest London, acknowledged the tragedy and the families’ grief, stating that family liaison officers would continue to support them.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died after the crash, which also injured several others when the 4×4 crashed through a fence and collided with a building. Trevor Sterling, a lawyer for the families, expressed disappointment, saying, “This is disappointing; justice must not only be done but seen to be done.”

As the families prepare for the next phase of their quest for justice, attention will turn to the inquest, where evidence will be thoroughly reviewed and examined by a jury if necessary.