A driver who crashed into a school leaving two girls dead is facing a fresh police investigation after a review uncovered flaws in the original inquiry.
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, were killed when a Land Rover Defender smashed through a fence as children and staff attended an end-of-year tea party last July.
But driver Claire Freemantle, 47, faced no charges after it was claimed she had suffered an epileptic seizure at the wheel for the first time.
Now Scotland Yard has reopened the case after a review revealed significant shortfalls in the way officers conducted the initial investigation into the crash at the Study Prep School in Wimbledon, south-west London.
This includes consideration of medical evidence that led to the case being dropped.
One of the key issues in is the diagnosis of epilepsy, which is notoriously difficult to detect without brain scans.
The review is also understood to have been critical of missed opportunities by the investigation team in the Road Traffic Collisions Unit who failed to interview key witnesses about the behaviour of the driver in the immediate aftermath.
Detectives will now appeal to members of the public who may have witnessed the tragedy to come forward.
In addition to the two children killed, nine children and three adults were also seriously injured.
Yesterday Nuria’s father Saj Butt, said: ‘No parent should ever have to go through the pain my wife, Smera, and I have experienced over the past 15 months.
‘The initial investigation seemed flawed and left so many unanswered questions.
‘Now, as we put our lives on-hold again, we can only welcome the news that a new investigation has been launched with a new, specialist and more experienced team.
‘While we know nothing will bring Nuria back, we hope this new investigation will finally uncover what really happened on 6 July 2023, and at last allow us, and the hundreds of others affected by what happened, to begin some sort of healing process.’
Jessie Deng, the mother of Selena Lau, welcomed the new investigation saying they had been left in ‘limbo’: ‘All we have ever wanted is a thorough and open investigation for Selena, Nuria and the other families whose lives were turned upside down one summer afternoon, whatever the outcome might be.
‘Before the 6th of July 2023 I had always believed the police would be there, for anyone, at their time of need. Instead, since that day, we have been left in a strange kind of limbo not knowing why this tragedy occurred.
‘This new investigation is welcome and I sincerely hope that this ongoing nightmare for all of the families and Selena’s schoolmates can come to an end soon.’
Yesterday a Met spokesman said: ‘We believe this further investigative work will address all questions raised by the families affected. It will be undertaken by an accredited senior investigating officer and team with experience in homicide investigations.’