Wimbledon school crash investigation re-opened by police after 'concerns' of failings by Met
Tributes are placed at the scene in Wimbledon
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An investigation has been reopened into a car crash at a school which killed two eight-year-old girls.
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died after the incident at the Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on July 6 2023.
The families had said they remained “unconvinced” that the investigation was conducted thoroughly after it was announced in June that the driver of the 4×4 had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel and would not face criminal charges.
Now, Scotland Yard has confirmed it will reopen an investigation to pursue further lines of inquiry.
A Land Rover Defender inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon, south London.
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A police officer stands guard next to an ambulance behind a cordon following a car collision at the private Study Prep girls' school in Wimbledon
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In a statement on Thursday, the Met Police said: "The review has identified a number of lines of inquiry that require further examination and, as such, the investigation will now be reopened.
“The families have been updated with this development and we will continue to meet with them to provide updates on the investigation as it progresses. We know this has been and remains a really difficult time for them.
“We believe this further investigative work will address all questions raised by the families affected.
"This further investigation will be undertaken by an accredited senior investigating officer and team with experience in homicide investigations."
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Two women with young girls look at flowers and messages left outside the Study Preparatory School in WimbledonPASelena’s mother Jessie Deng said her family have been in a “strange kind of limbo”, The Daily Mail reported.
She said: “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.”
Paramedics and police officers walk near the private Study Prep girls' school
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Nuria’s father, Saj Butt, said he hoped the new investigation would begin a "healing process."
He 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 July 6 2023, and at last allow us, and the hundreds of others affected by what happened, to begin some sort of healing process."
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