Rowley blames lack of resources for slow investigation into fatal school crash

Ewan Somerville
The scene of the crash in Wimbledon where two schoolgirls died
The scene of the crash where two schoolgirls died - Yui Mok/PA

The Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has blamed a lack of resources for the slow progress of an investigation into the Wimbledon prep school crash.

Eight-year-old pupils Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died during an end-of-term party at the Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on July 6 last year.

Several others were injured when the car ploughed through a fence and hit a building, but later discharged from hospital.

Nobody has been charged over the incident. A 46-year-old woman from Wimbledon, who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, remains on bail.

The victims’ families are now demanding that Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, intervenes more than nine months on from the tragedy, following repeated appeals for police to prioritise their case.

Nuria Sajjad, pictured with her parents Smera Chohan and Sajjad Butt, was one of the two pupils who died in the crash
Nuria Sajjad, pictured with her parents Smera Chohan and Sajjad Butt, was one of the two pupils who died in the crash - Family handout

After they raised concerns to Scotland Yard about the delays, Sir Mark responded on April 6 explaining why the investigation was taking so long.

Stressing the resource constraints police were under, he said: “One of the challenges is the professional experience and expertise that forensic collision investigators require to operate independently to meet the requirements of the Forensic Science Regulator.

“There is currently only one path to qualify as a forensic collision investigator (FCI) available in the UK, which is a six-year, part-time course from De Montfort University.

“This means there are very few individuals who have the specialist skills needed to progress these investigation(s) and the [Met] currently takes up approximately 20 per cent of course places as we are seeking to increase the number of investigators.”

He said that the 100 fatal crashes investigated by the force each year “are progressed in the order that they begin”, adding: “Any decision to prioritise one case would result in another family waiting longer for answers.”

Selena Lau, who also died during an end-of-term party, while several others were injured
Selena Lau also died during an end-of-term party, while several others were injured - Family handout/Metropolitan Police/PA

The force expects a final report to be sent to prosecutors “before the end of April” to decide on whether the driver in the Wimbledon case should be charged, after interviewing 150 witnesses, speaking to the driver, studying CCTV and forensically examining the car, he said.

“The death of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare, and I can only begin to imagine the pain and grief that the families you represent are going through,” he told the families’ legal team.

In an open letter to Mr Khan on Tuesday, Trevor Sterling, a senior partner at Moore Barlow, which is representing the victims, said that “the delay is adding to the significant trauma suffered by those affected”.

He said: “We believe that there should be a protocol for expediting investigations in incidents of public interest such as this, where children are fatally injured.”

Mr Sterling asked the mayor to meet with the families and warned that “fundamental steps need to be taken to address the resource issue” as the typical timeline of 18 months for forensic examiner reports “prejudice the victims in respect of both a criminal and/or civil trial”.

Inquests into the two deaths were opened and adjourned at Inner West London coroner’s court on July 12.

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