Driver in fatal primary school crash released on bail
The driver of a 4×4 that ploughed into a primary school killing two eight-year-old girls has been released on bail pending further investigations.
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, died in the incident at The Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, in July 2023 while celebrating the last day of the summer term.
Claire Freemantle, 48, was rearrested on Tuesday after bereaved families criticised the police investigation into the tragedy.
In June last year, the Metropolitan Police said she had suffered an epileptic seizure and would face no criminal charges.
But the girls' families said they were unconvinced the investigation had been carried out thoroughly and in October, the force said it would reopen its inquiry.
On Tuesday, the Met said the 48-year-old driver had been arrested and was in custody. She was originally arrested for the same offence at the scene of the collision on July 6 2023.
The Met confirmed on Thursday that she is due to report to a police station in late April.
Last summer, prosecutors found Ms Freemantle had never had an epileptic seizure before and was in good health before the crash.
In a statement to the PA news agency at the time, Ms Freemantle expressed her 'deepest sorrow' and said she had 'no recollection of what took place' after losing consciousness.
On Tuesday, the force said that following concerns raised by the girls' families, it had carried out its own review of the case and found lines of inquiry that 'required further examination'.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who is leading the new investigation, said: 'I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to any witnesses or individuals with information who are yet to speak to police to please come forward.
'Were you attending the local golf course or driving in or around the area of The Study Prep school in Wimbledon at the time of the collision?
'Did you see the vehicle – a distinctive gold Land Rover Defender – in the lead-up to the collision?
'We believe there were people in the local area who have not been spoken to by police and remain unidentified. I would ask those individuals to please contact us.
'Our main priority is to ensure the lines of inquiry identified by the review are progressed. This is a live investigation and in order to maintain its integrity I can't go into further detail at this stage. I would urge people to avoid speculation.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Watch: Bridgerton actress fights off Algerian phone thief
Credit: Metropolitan Police Footage has revealed the moment a Bridgerton actress fought off a prolific Algerian criminal who tried to steal her phone. Genevieve Chenneour turned to see Zacariah Boulares grab her device from the table behind her as she waited for her order at a Joe & The Juice coffee shop in Kensington, west London. The 27-year-old immediately put her hands up to block his exit with the help of another customer. As the other customer held Boulares down, Ms Chenneour grabbed her dropped phone from the floor and used it to hit him in the back. She was left with concussion after Boulares retaliated, hitting and kicking the other customer who helped during the incident in February. Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of the Netflix period drama, has thanked her fans for their support since the attack. Posting on Instagram, she wrote: 'I'm okay and incredibly grateful he won't be able to harm anyone else. I am, however, finding it difficult to feel safe going out – especially after being repeatedly threatened with being stabbed in the face.' Boulares, who has 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences, admitted stealing her phone and assaulting another customer when he appeared at Westminster magistrates' court last week. The 18-year-old, who is an Algerian national, previously threatened to cut off Aled Jones's arm with a machete unless he handed over his £17,000 Rolex watch. He then threatened to behead the BBC Songs of Praise presenter if he continued to follow him after the robbery in July 2023. Boulares had also previously stolen a Rolex worth £20,000 from a 78-year-old man at Paddington station in west London. He was put in youth detention as a result, but released after 14 months of his 24-month sentence. In addition to the phone theft and assault, Boulares pleaded guilty to another theft after he stole a black leather bag from a customer at a pizza restaurant. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on June 17. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Muriel McKay's family offer £1m reward to find body
The family of Muriel McKay – who was held hostage and murdered 56 years ago – have offered a £1m reward for information that leads to the discovery of her remains. Mrs McKay's grandson, Mark Dyer, told the BBC the family was inspired by the Mel Gibson movie Ransom to make a last-ditch attempt to solve the mystery. Mrs McKay's body has not been found since she was kidnapped in 1969, taken to a farm in Hertfordshire and killed. Police searched the farm at the time, in 2022 and again in 2024, but Mr Dyer said the family hoped the reward "could provide a new way forward". He said the £1m ($1.35m), which had been supplied by a "benefactor", would not be paid "if finding Muriel involves any illegal act whatsoever". "It's a long shot, but it's a big statement and I think after 55 years – we have been trying to get her back ever since," he added. The reward mirrors the original ransom demand of £1m to return Mrs McKay to her family. She had been mistaken for the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and abducted from her London home on 29 December 1969. Her husband, Alick McKay – Murdoch's deputy - returned home to find her missing. Later that evening, he received a phone call. He was told: "This is Mafia M3. "We're from America, we have your wife. It will cost you a million pounds to get her back. "You'd better get it by Wednesday, or we will kill her." The caller was Nizamodeen Hosein, who was convicted of Mrs McKay's kidnap and murder along with his brother, Arthur. Arthur died in prison. Nizamodeen Hosein later spoke to the McKay family, explaining where he had buried her. The Metropolitan Police interviewed Hosein in 2024 and - despite scepticism about his account - carried out a third dig at Stocking Farm, near Bishop's Stortford. No human remains were found. Mr Dyer said his mother Dianne – Muriel's daughter – had seen the film Ransom and "thought it was an interesting idea to turn it on its head" by offering the same payment that had been demanded in ransom. "We're offering it to anybody who can lead us directly to recovering Muriel's remains. "Someone who feels a flicker of recognition. It could be an old memory. "You may have been living with this for 55 years, you may have been suffering with that knowledge. "There are people perhaps in Trinidad or in prison who were told things over the years. "You could have the courage to rewrite history and give a family that peace that's been denied," he said. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. No human remains found in search for Muriel McKay Muriel McKay killer 'willing' to show where body is Muriel McKay's children make direct plea to Met chief Metropolitan Police
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Child Q strip-search officer admits failings
A police officer accused of carrying out an unjustified strip-search on a 15-year-old black girl at an east London school has said she accepts she failed in her duties and the search should never have happened. The girl, known as Child Q, was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis and forced to expose her intimate parts at her school in Hackney in December 2020. No drugs were found and a further search of her hair was also carried out by officers which led to the same outcome. Trainee Det Con Kristina Linge, one of the female officers who carried out the strip-search, told a gross misconduct hearing she had "absolutely" acted in good faith but accepted causing upset, for which she apologised. When asked if she would have done anything differently had Child Q been white, 46-year-old Det Con Linge answered "no". Two other officers, PC Victoria Wray and PC Rafal Szmydynski, are also accused of breaching professional police standards after allegedly being involved in an "unjustified", "disproportionate" and "demeaning" strip-search. All three officers deny gross misconduct. Despite admitting a number failures that day, Det Con Linge told the panel she had tried to make Child Q "as comfortable as possible". "I understood that she is a juvenile, I took all the precautions to avoid embarrassment." Det Con Linge joined the Met Police in 2018 and was still in her probationary period when the search took place. She told the panel in south-east London that Child Q "did want her mum to be called or informed about the search" and that the school's deputy safeguarding manager acted as the appropriate adult, standing outside in the corridor while the search took place. Det Con Linge also said she thought police training on all levels of searches was not adequate. When asked about conversations with staff at the school, after they failed to find drugs on the teenager, Det Con Linge said the head teacher "was adamant that the school girl had drugs and [was] compliant with the girl to be searched". The hearing continues. Child Q: Strip-search training 'insufficient' Child Q violated in strip-search, hearing told Met officers could be sacked over Child Q strip-search Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
