This is the first picture of the driver who suffered an epileptic fit and ploughed into a Wimbledon school killing two eight-year-old girls.
Claire Freemantle was at the wheel of her £80,000 Land Rover when she lost consciousness and slammed into an end of term tea party being held on the grounds of the Study Preparatory School.
The 47-year-old has been told by the Crown Prosecution Service that she will not face any charges over the crash last July that claimed the lives of Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad.
The CPS confirmed Freemantle had suffered an epileptic fit while driving.
In an emotional statement issued after the decision was announced the mother-of-three said told of her ‘deep sorrow’ and she had ‘no recollection of what took place’.
The £80,000 Land Rover slammed into an end of term tea party being held on the grounds of the Study Preparatory School
Claire Freemantle (pictured) was at the wheel of her £80,000 Land Rover when she lost consciousness and slammed into an end of term tea party being held on the grounds of the Study Preparatory School
Nuria Sajjad (left) had been enjoying enjoying a tea party with her classmates to mark the last day of term when horrific crash took place. The crash also killed Selena Lau (right)
‘The tragedy will be with me for the rest of my life,’ she added.
Mrs Freemantle is believed to have left the family’s £3million home in Wimbledon before the CPS announcement having previously been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving following the accident on July 6th last year.
Neighbours of the detached property close to Wimbledon village said Freemantle and her husband Dominic, an investment banker, had gone away for a ‘few days’. The decision not to prosecute Freemantle angered the parents of the two young girls killed. In their own statement they said that their daughters “deserved better” and criticised the pace and depth of the investigation.
Mrs Freemantle was driving away from Wimbledon Common when her 3.5 tonne black and gold Land Rover mounted a kerb, smashed through a metal fence and slammed into a group of children in the grounds of the school.
Several others were injured in the horrific the crash, with a woman in her forties, believed to be a parent or carer, left in a serious condition.
Others injured, included a seven-month-old baby were taken to hospital and later discharged.
Mrs Freemantle is believed to have left the family’s £3million home in Wimbledon before the CPS announcement having previously been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving following the accident
Nuria’s mother Smera was also injured in the horrific crash that took place just after this photo of them was taken
Selena’s parents Franky and Jessie Lau (pictured) have demanded ‘justice for their daughter’ and told of their ‘disappointment’ at the move not to charge the driver responsible for the crash
Nuria, who would have turned nine on March 20, is pictured with her loving parents Smera and Sajjad
The Land Rover crashed through a fence at The Study Prep school in south-west London at around 10am on July 6, 2023
Specialist officers at the scene of the incident last July
Police said at the time a 46-year-old woman was hospitalised with a non-life-threatening condition before being arrested and bailed on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Evidence from neurological specialists found that Freemantle had no prior diagnosis of a medical condition and had not had a seizure before.
She is understood to have surrendered her driving licence and will have to prove to the DVLA that she is free from any seizure before getting her licence back.
In a statement after the CPS decision Freemantle said: ‘Since I became aware of the terrible event that took place on July 6, the devastating consequences for all those affected have not left my thoughts and will be with me for the rest of my life.
‘I have since been diagnosed as having suffered an epileptic seizure with loss of consciousness. This was not a pre-existing condition. As a result of losing consciousness I have no recollection of what took place. “I can only express my deepest sorrow for the families who have suffered such dreadful loss and injury.
Flowers and toys placed outside The Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, after the incident
‘As a mother, I understand there can be no words that adequately express the pain and loss resulting from what happened in those horrendous moments while I was unconscious.
‘My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all of the children and families affected, and especially to the parents of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau.’
Sajjad Butt, Smera Chohan, Franky Lau and Jessie Deng, the parents of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, said in a joint statement they were not satisfied with the police investigation.
They said ‘There are questions that remain unanswered. As long as these doubts remain, we remain unconvinced that a fair and thorough investigation was conducted.
‘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.
‘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.
‘Justice has neither been done, nor has been seen to be done today. Nuria and Selena deserved better.’