On July 6, 2023, a Land Rover Defender crashed through a fence into The Study Prep school in Wimbledon, where Year Three pupils and parents were having an end-of-term picnic. The crash claimed the lives of two eight-year-old girls, Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad; Selena died at the scene and Nuria died three days later in hospital. Sixteen people were treated for injuries, with twelve taken to hospital, according to multiple reports.
More than twelve people, including Nuria's mother Smera Chohan, were injured in the incident, sources said. The driver of the Land Rover was Claire Freemantle, who claimed she suffered an undiagnosed epileptic seizure and had no recollection of the crash. The Crown Prosecution Service initially declined to file criminal charges against Freemantle in 2024, a decision that followed the initial police inquiry.
Freemantle expressed deep sorrow for the loss and extended thoughts to the families and all affected, according to reports. The Metropolitan Police reopened its investigation into the crash in October 2024 following an internal review. Freemantle was re-arrested in January 2025 on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, according to multiple reports.
Freemantle is currently on bail and will report to a police station later in the month, a police spokesperson confirmed. The CPS received a new dossier from detectives in March and is weighing a legal opinion submitted on April 7, with a verdict expected at the end of the month. The CPS has also received a full file of evidence from the Met and sought legal advice, with a charging decision expected soon.
I am deeply sorry for the loss of Selena and Nuria and my thoughts are with their families and all those affected by this tragedy.
Eleven Met Police officers are being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over their handling of the initial inquiry. The IOPC investigation includes concerns about the standard of the initial investigation and whether it was conducted thoroughly, according to multiple reports. The IOPC is investigating allegations that officers provided false and misleading information to those affected by the crash.
Additionally, the IOPC is examining whether officers' treatment of those affected was influenced by their race. Families of the victims have claimed there was 'unconscious bias' or 'confirmation bias' due to Claire Freemantle being white, affecting the investigation. Among the eleven officers under investigation is Clair Kelland, a senior Met Police officer who managed the initial investigation.
Four serving officers—a commander, a detective chief inspector, a detective sergeant, and a detective constable—along with one former detective constable are under investigation for possible gross misconduct. Two detective constables are being investigated at misconduct level. The initial investigation failed to interview key witnesses.
Claire Freemantle lives in a £4 million Wimbledon home with her investment banker husband, according to multiple reports. The crash's injury toll includes conflicting reports, with some sources citing sixteen treated and twelve hospitalized, while others note 'more than twelve' injured. What specific evidence led the Metropolitan Police to reopen the investigation in October 2024 remains unknown.
The nature of the 'false and misleading information' allegedly provided by officers is also unclear. The CPS decision timeline and exact injury count are additional unknowns. The specifics of the racial bias investigation are still being examined by the IOPC.