The Crown Prosecution (CPS) has announced that a lady who killed two eight-year-old kids when her car smashed into a school in southwest London would not be prosecuted.
On July 6, 2023, a Land Rover struck and killed Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau during an end-of-term tea party at The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon.
The CPS has notified the families that the driving woman will not face charges due to an epileptic episode.
The driver of the car, Claire Freemantle, stated that she had “no recollection of what took place” and expressed her “deepest sorrow”.
“Justice has neither been done nor has it been seen to be done today,” the girls’ families said.
They said so many lives were “irreparably shattered” and they remained “unconvinced” that the investigation had been conducted thoroughly.
“All the victims of the events of 6 July 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,” they said in a statement.
According to the CPS, Freemantle lost control of the car and it crashed into the school as a result of an epileptic episode while she was driving.
The collision also caused injuries to many other people.
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According to the CPS, Freemantle had no prior medical diagnosis and there was no proof that she had ever experienced a seizure similar to this one.
The parents of the girls, Sajjad Butt, Smera Chohan, Franky Lau, and Jessie Deng, expressed their opinion that the procedure had been “questionable” in their statement.
“We continue to live with horrific memories, some of us will never physically recover from our injuries, and the pain of our loss will never subside,” they said.
“And yet, it is suggested that we must continue to live with the claim that the person solely responsible for the deaths of two and the maiming of others bears no consequence for the actions that they solely are responsible, without providing us with sufficient evidence that no criminal act was conducted,” they added.
According to Freemantle, her “heartfelt sympathy” is extended to all of the impacted children and families, but particularly to Nuria and Selena’s parents.
Detective Supt Clair Kelland stated, “I can understand that some may be confused – perhaps even feel let down – by this outcome, and want to give every reassurance that our officers worked tirelessly through every detail of the incident to ensure a complete investigation be passed to the CPS.”
She continued by saying that there had to be a “simply not borne out on this occasion” “element of responsibility” to file charges against the driver.
(With inputs from agencies)