Sadiq Khan will ask senior leaders in the Metropolitan police to consider expediting investigations into collisions where children have died after meeting the parents of the two girls killed in the Wimbledon school crash.
The mayor of London’s met the families of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, two eight-year-olds who died last year after a Land Rover ploughed into the Study prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London.
Nuria’s parents and Selena’s father met Khan at City Hall on Wednesday, along with their lawyer.
The families raised concerns about the pace of the police investigation, which took almost a year to decide that no charges would be brought against the driver after finding she had an epileptic seizure while at the wheel.
Nuria’s parents spoke to the Guardian in April this year about the devastating impact that the long wait for answers had on them. The Met announced last month it would review its handling of the investigation.
On Wednesday, Khan was pressed on concerns about the handling of the case by Trevor Sterling, a lawyer representing 20 of the families affected by the incident, as well as the parents of Nuria and Selena.
The mayor reassured them that he would raise the issue with the force and explore whether child road deaths could be expedited for investigation. The Guardian understands from City Hall that Khan is going to discuss the matter with senior Met leaders, in an attempt to protect other families from experiencing a similar protracted ordeal.
Sterling said road traffic accidents involving children being killed should not prompt “a one size fits all approach to the police investigations” and that there “should be some form of expedited protocol or process”.
Comparing the policy idea to the recent handling of riot prosecutions, he said: “We saw that there was an expedited process to deal with the offenders with the riots. So, this isn’t setting a precedent in any way whatsoever.”
Summarising the meeting, Sterling said: “[Khan] said that, having seen my suggestion, he felt it was a very good suggestion, and one that he wanted to consider and see whether it would be possible to implement it.”
If the changes are brought in “it would mean that no other families will have to go through what they’ve been through … and that’s fantastic for the families”, said Sterling, adding: “That will be the legacy for Nuria and Selena.”
A spokesperson for Khan said: “The mayor is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of Nuria and Selena. Their deaths shocked us all. The mayor and deputy mayor for policing and crime [Sophie Linden] have met with both families and it is right that the Met have committed to addressing their questions and concerns by carrying out a review of the investigation.”
Sterling said he discussed several concerns with Khan about the systemic issues raised by the case, including a lack of resources.
The Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, said in a letter to Sterling earlier this year that the delay in the investigation was because of a shortage of specialist forensic collision investigators.
A Met spokesperson said: “This was a tragic incident and the families of Nuria and Selena are always in our thoughts. We received a letter in March from representatives of the families and the commissioner responded in April.
“Fatal collisions are deeply distressing for every family affected and we always seek to progress all road death investigations as swiftly as possible in order to secure answers and justice for bereaved families.
“We continue work to improve the timeliness of all our fatal collision investigations and provide the best possible service to families at such a difficult time.”
