The police watchdog is investigating whether officers were ‘biased’ towards a driver who killed two eight-year-old girls in a crash because she was a wealthy white woman with a £70,000 car.
A group of 11 Scotland Yard officers are being investigated for alleged racism over their probe of the car crash that left two schoolchildren dead.
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, died when a Land Rover Defender veered off the road – smashing through a fence into the Study Prep School in Wimbledon – as children and staff were enjoying an end-of-year tea party.
Nine children and three adults were also seriously injured on the morning of July 6, 2023.
The driver, Claire Freemantle, was not charged with any offence after telling police she had suffered an epileptic seizure for the first time and had no recollection of the crash.
The Crown Prosecution Service is now considering whether to bring charges in the controversial case, which could see Ms Freemantle prosecuted for death by dangerous driving.
It has now emerged that the families of both girls and other surviving victims have complained to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), resulting in an investigation into
‘unconscious bias’ on the basis that officers may have been more inclined to believe a rich white woman at the wheel.
It is claimed that ‘confirmation bias’ based on the driver’s race and status led to investigating officers failing to question her account.
Selena Lau, eight, was one of two little girls killed in the crash at Study Prep School in July 2023
Nuria Sajjad, eight, also died from her injuries after the car crashed through a fence at the school
The £70,000 Land Rover Defender at the scene of the crash after it veered off the road
The force decided to reopen the case in October 2024 after a serious case review uncovered significant flaws in the way officers conducted the initial investigation, including consideration of medical evidence which led to the probe being dropped.
One of the key issues in the original investigation was the diagnosis of epilepsy, which is notoriously difficult to detect without brain scans shortly after a seizure and a detailed consideration of a patient’s medical history.
The internal Met review was also critical of missed opportunities by the original investigation team in the Road Traffic Collisions Unit who failed to interview key witnesses at the scene about the behaviour of the driver in the immediate aftermath.
When the case was subsequently reopened, police made an appeal to those who witnessed the crash to come forward to help officers understand whether the driver’s behaviour was consistent with her diagnosis.
In January, Ms Freemantle was re-arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
The accused, who lives nearby in a £4milllion home with her investment banker husband, has previously expressed her ‘deepest sorrow’ about the deaths, but said she had ‘no recollection’ of the accident.
Four serving police officers and one former detective constable are now under investigation for suspected gross misconduct over their handling of the original probe.
The IOPC will examine allegations that officers ‘provided false and misleading information to those affected’. It is also investigating whether ‘officers’ treatment of those affected was influenced by their race’.
The ranks of the four serving officers under investigation are commander, detective chief inspector, detective sergeant and detective constable.
Two detective constables are also being investigated at misconduct level.
The CPS has received a full file of evidence from the Met and is now expected to make a decision on whether to bring charges within weeks.
In an interview with the BBC, Nuria’s parents – Smera Chohan and Sajjad Butt – said the Met had ‘failed them’.
Ms Chohan said: ‘I hope the IOPC will cover that. I really want to understand why I have been treated so cruelly, unfairly and in an inhumane way.
‘I would like the keepers of law, of the system, to come and tell me. I am not asking for any favouritism, any leeway or any sympathy.
‘I’m just saying, “do it right”. It’s been left hanging for three years and that isn’t right.’
Ms Chohan is facing a fifth surgery on her legs after suffering injuries in the same crash which killed her daughter.
Mr Butt said he and his family have ‘not been protected’ and were ‘left out in the cold’ by the police force.
The families of both Nuria and Selena said their lives have been ‘irreparably shattered’ in a statement released on Tuesday.
It read: ‘The past 33 months have been incredibly difficult for everyone affected including those who lost family, were seriously injured or witnessed the horrific incident, and we are still trying to come to terms with what happened on that fateful day.
‘We have always maintained that the initial investigation was flawed. When the Crown Prosecution Service took the decision for no further action against the driver on the 26th of June 2024, we asserted that the original investigation was poor, and we were unconvinced that the investigation was conducted thoroughly.
‘We are encouraged that the Independent Office of Police Conduct have opened an inquiry.
‘We have always sought the truth, and will continue to champion the pursuit of complete clarity on the events of that devastating day and subsequent actions taken by the Metropolitan Police. The truth must come to light.’
