‘Living in hell’: Mother of girl killed in school crash welcomes reopened probe

The mother of one of the eight-year-old girls killed in a car crash at a school last summer has said she has been “living in hell”, as police announced they were reopening the investigation into the incident.

Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died after the crash at the Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on July 6 2023.

Their families had said they remained “unconvinced” that the investigation into their deaths was conducted thoroughly after it was announced in June that the driver of the 4×4 had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel and would not face criminal charges.

An internal review was launched after the concerns were raised, and the Metropolitan Police announced on Thursday that the investigation will now be reopened and examine a number of lines of inquiry.

The girls’ families have welcomed the announcement.

Jessie Deng, Selena’s mother, told the BBC: “I really welcome that the investigation opened and it has been kind of like living in hell for the last 15 months.”

Growing emotional, she said she misses her daughter every day, adding: “Because we sent her to school, but she never come back.

“It’s just like the day that turned our world upside down.”

Franky Lau, Selena’s father, told the broadcaster: “We think it’s the right thing for them (the police) to do.

“I think all we wanted was a thorough, open, transparent investigation and we were not convinced that the initial investigation was that, and the police themselves seems to have admitted that that is also not the case.”

In a statement issued earlier on Thursday, Nuria’s father, Saj Butt, said he hoped the new investigation would begin a “healing process”.

He said: “No parent should ever have to go through the pain my wife, Smera, and I have experienced over the past 15 months.

“The initial investigation seemed flawed and left so many unanswered questions.

“Now, as we put our lives on hold again, we can only welcome the news that a new investigation has been launched with a new, specialist and more experienced team.

“While we know nothing will bring Nuria back, we hope this new investigation will finally uncover what really happened on 6 July 2023, and at last allow us, and the hundreds of others affected by what happened, to begin some sort of healing process.”

In June, the driver, Claire Freemantle, expressed her “deepest sorrow” in a statement to the PA news agency and said she had “no recollection of what took place” after losing consciousness.

The Met said on Thursday: “The review has identified a number of lines of inquiry that require further examination and, as such, the investigation will now be reopened.

“The families have been updated with this development and we will continue to meet with them to provide updates on the investigation as it progresses.

“We know this has been and remains a really difficult time for them.

“We believe this further investigative work will address all questions raised by the families affected.

“This further investigation will be undertaken by an accredited senior investigating officer and team with experience in homicide investigations.”

The school had been celebrating the last day of the summer term when the tragedy unfolded.

Several other people were injured when the 4×4 crashed through a fence and hit a building.