Misconduct inquiry over fatal schoolgirl crash

Misconduct inquiry over fatal schoolgirl crash8 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLucy ManningSpecial correspondentSelana Lau's familyNuria Sajjad and Selena LauEleven Metropolitan Police officers are being investigated by the police watchdog for their handling of the initial inquiry into a crash in Wimbledon that killed two schoolgirls three years ago, the BBC has been told.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said four serving officers and one former detective constable were being investigated for possible gross misconduct. Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, died after a Land Rover driven by Claire Freemantle crashed into an end-of-term tea party on the lawn of The Study Preparatory School in July 2023.Freemantle was not charged as the Crown Prosecution Service said she had suffered an undiagnosed epileptic seizure - but the girls' families always maintained the investigation was flawed.We are battling a cruel system, Nuria Sajjad's parents sayThe families told the BBC in a statement that they were "encouraged" that the IOPC had 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," they said. "The truth must come to light."The IOPC began its investigation in August 2025.The watchdog said its inquiry would look at "allegations that Met officers provided false and misleading information to those affected and whether the officers' treatment of those affected was influenced by their race". It would also cover the standard of the investigation, including its management and direction, the conduct of the investigation team, and their engagement with the victims, it said.The ranks of the four serving officers being investigated for gross misconduct are commander, detective chief inspector, detective sergeant and detective constab...