The driver of a Land Rover that crashed into a school in south-west London, killing two eight-year-old girls, will face no criminal charges because she had an epileptic seizure at the wheel, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.
Nuria Sajjad and fellow eight-year-old pupil Selena Lau died following the incident, which happened at the Study Prep school in Wimbledon on July 6 last year.
Several others were injured when the car plowed through a fence and crashed into a building. A 46-year-old woman was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Claire Freemantle, the driver of the car, expressed her “deepest sorrow” and said she had “no recollection of what took place”.
She said that as a mother, she knew there were “no words that adequately express the pain and loss resulting from what happened in those horrendous moments while I was unconscious”.
She 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. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all of the children and families affected, and especially to the parents of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau.”
Jaswant Narwal, the Chief Crown Prosecutor overseeing the Crown Prosecution Service’s London homicide unit, said: “We have carefully considered this complex and sensitive case, taking into consideration all the material gathered as part of the lengthy and detailed police investigation.
“The driver of the vehicle had an epileptic seizure behind the wheel, which caused her to lose control of the vehicle, which then drove into the school. There is no evidence the driver had ever suffered a similar seizure before, and she had no previously diagnosed medical condition.
“Because there is nothing to suggest the driver could have done anything to predict or prevent this tragedy, it is not in the public interest to pursue a criminal prosecution.”
The CPS said it had considered the driver’s full medical records and received evidence from neurological specialists, who agreed that the driver had a seizure and that this was the first such medical episode she had experienced.
In a joint statement, the girls’ families said: “We remain unconvinced that the investigation has been conducted thoroughly.
“We remain unconvinced that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has reached a decision based on all the facts. Justice has neither been done nor has been seen to be done today.
“Nuria and Selena deserved better.”
“We have tried to keep faith in the systems and institutions that are supposed to protect victims and deliver justice to those affected.
“We have been disappointed by this system. We have already expressed, publicly, our dissatisfaction with the pace of the investigative process.
“It is now clear to us that the depth of the process is questionable too. In the absence of any concrete evidence to the contrary, we can only surmise that the investigation has been equally poor.”
Metropolitan Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland said that having examined her medical records, the driver could not have predicted or prevented the seizure.
She said: “I can understand that some may be confused – perhaps even feel let down – by this outcome and want to give every reassurance that our officers worked tirelessly through every detail of the incident to ensure a complete investigation be passed to the CPS.
