Woman charged after car crashed into Wimbledon primary school in 2023 killing two girls

A woman has been charged after a car crashed into the grounds of a primary school in 2023, killing two eight-year-old girls.

Claire Freemantle has been charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after the incident in Wimbledon, southwest London.

The 49-year-old, from Edge Hill, Wimbledon, indicated through lawyers that she will plead not guilty when she appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 June.

Schoolgirls Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died in July 2023 when a Land Rover smashed through a fence at The Study Prep school, which was celebrating the last day of the summer term. More than a dozen people were also injured.

The Metropolitan Police said in June 2024 that the driver had suffered an epileptic seizure and would face no criminal charges.

But after concerns were raised by the families of the two young girls, a review of the case was carried out, and the force's Specialist Crime Command decided to reinvestigate the case.

Freemantle was arrested for the second time and released under investigation in January last year.

A statement released by Freemantle's lawyers said there are "serious questions to be answered" over why the decision to charge was reversed.

Mark Jones, criminal defence partner at Payne Hicks Beach LLP, said she would be "tortured for the rest of her life by the dreadful loss and injury" and "remains utterly devastated" by what happened.

He added: "We believe that initial decision by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] was the right one in these tragic circumstances and that there are serious questions to be answered about the reasons for its reversal today."

Read more from Sky News:
Woman jailed after murdering sister
Man guilty of Israeli embassy attack
South East Water chair resigns

The Met police offered an apology in a statement about their handling of the crash: "We are sorry for how we initially dealt with the incident and for the impact on those affected.

"We must now let both criminal proceedings and the independent investigation run their course.

"However, following a review of the Roads and Transport Policing Command we will be fundamentally resetting how the Met investigates fatal and serious collisions."

Separately, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is currently investigating officers for alleged racism in their handling of the case.

The watchdog previously said it was examining allegations that officers provided "false and misleading information" to the families after they raised concerns about the standard of the investigation.

The IOPC is examining complaints against 11 staff, including four serving officers and one former officer, who are being investigated for gross misconduct.

(c) Sky News 2026: Woman charged after car crashed into Wimbledon primary school in 2023 killing two girls