Woman charged in school crash that killed two girls

Claire Freemantle, a 49-year-old woman from Wimbledon, has been charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following a crash that killed two eight-year-old girls at a southwest London preparatory school on July 6, 2023.

The incident occurred when Freemantle's Land Rover Defender veered off Camp Road and smashed through a fence into the grounds of The Study Prep School during an end-of-year tea party attended by pupils, families, and staff. Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died at the scene, while nine children and three adults suffered serious injuries.

Freemantle was arrested shortly after the crash but released without charges in June 2024, when the Crown Prosecution Service accepted her claim of suffering a first-time epileptic seizure that caused her to lose consciousness. Prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence for criminal proceedings at that time.

Concerns raised by the victims' families prompted a review of the initial Metropolitan Police investigation, which identified missed lines of inquiry, including failures to interview key witnesses such as the head teacher. In October...