Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Nuria Sajjad's parents still waiting for crash answers

London student’s grieving mother and father Smera Chohan and Sajjad Butt paid tribute to their only child and blame police for delays

Nuria Sajjad's parents still waiting for crash answers

THE parents of a girl killed in an accident in south London last summer have blamed the police for dragging their investigation into the crash which left another student and around 20 other people injured.

A gold and black Land Rover crashed through the fence into the playground at The Study, an all-girls preparatory school in Wimbledon on July 6, killing Nuria Sajjad and her classmate Selena Lau.


A woman was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and was bailed until this month.

In an exclusive interview with The Times, Sajjad’s parents Smera Chohan and Sajjad Butt paid tribute to their only child revealing that they went through a high-risk pregnancy due to Chohan developing lupus, a condition that weakens the immune system.

“We carried all of this, but she was born perfect,” Chohan told the paper. “She became our reason for being.

She added: “If parents pass away, you call the children orphans. What do you call us? This is not natural.”

Chohan herself suffered a number of serious injuries as a result of the accident, including eight broken ribs, a fractured spine, a broken shoulder and a broken pelvis.

The 47-year-old has had three surgical operations, with a fourth to come in a few weeks.

Chohan described her heartbreak as she was in a wheelchair when her daughter’s life-support machine was switched off.

“I didn’t get to give her the last hug that I so badly miss now. If I could, I would go back. Because of my own broken body and hers, I couldn’t lift her up in my arms to say goodbye. It’s never going to make sense. It is never going to be okay,” she said.

Her husband had stepped away to get a coffee at the moment of the accident, but saw the car ploughing into his wife and daughter.

“The ambulance came and then the air ambulance. I stood back knowing there was nothing I could do,” he said. “It was utter disbelief. The level of disbelief was enormous.”

Butt told the paper that in the days after he incident, he worried for his wife’s long-term well-being as a result of the trauma she had been through.

“We just sat in Nuria’s room and howled,” he was quoted as saying. “It was more than crying. I was even worried about Smera’s will to live lasting through the night, let alone the rest of our lives. It was very hard.”

The couple are now looking for answers into the alleged delay in the Metropolitan Police’s investigation.

An inquest into their daughter’s death has been opened and adjourned.

“We have started asking questions and there are still no answers,” Chohan said. “Make this case a priority.”

Butt added: ““We just want accountability. Our daughter had so much to offer this world. She has been denied that.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, in charge of policing for southwest London, said: “Our thoughts remain with the families of Nuria and Selena, who we know are greatly loved and missed. This was a tragic incident and we understand the families want and need answers as to what happened. We are continuing to give them specialist support through our dedicated family liaison officers, who are providing updates on the investigation where they can.

“Specialist detectives are working tirelessly to establish the circumstances of that day. We recognise the time taken can cause further distress but it is only right and fair to all involved that we carry out a thorough and extensive investigation”.

More For You

US Congressman condemns attacks on Hindu temples

Suhas Subramanyam speaks during the House Oversight And Government Reform Committee meeting at the US Capitol on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

US Congressman condemns attacks on Hindu temples

INDIAN AMERICAN Congressman Suhas Subramanyam has strongly condemned recent attacks on Hindu temples across the US, saying that every American should be able to practise their faith without fear.

Speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, Subramanyam said: “Hate has no place in our communities, and that’s why I condemn the recent hateful attacks on Hindu temples and mandirs all across the country.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlie Kirk assassination: Manhunt, misinformation and a country unravelling

Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah Valley University

Getty Images

Charlie Kirk assassination: Manhunt, misinformation and a country unravelling

Highlights:

  • Charlie Kirk, 31, shot dead at Utah Valley University during a student event; shooter still at large.
  • FBI falsely announced an arrest, later retracting the claim, raising questions about investigation handling.
  • Retired Canadian Michael Mallinson wrongly accused online as the shooter; misinformation spread rapidly on social media.
  • Security at the event was minimal, with no bag checks.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a student event at Utah Valley University has left the nation shaken and investigators scrambling. The 31-year-old was fatally shot in the neck while answering questions under a campus tent, in what officials are calling a sniper-style attack. The shooter remains at large, and the aftermath has exposed investigative missteps, rampant misinformation, and a dangerous level of political vitriol that threatens to push an already polarised America closer to the edge.

Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah Valley University Getty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
Prince Harry meets King after 20 months to heal rift

Prince Harry visits the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London, in London, Britain, September 10, 2025. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

Prince Harry meets King after 20 months to heal rift

PRINCE HARRY had tea with King Charles on Wednesday (10) at their first meeting in 20 months, in what may prove a first step toward ending a much-publicised rift between father and son.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, last saw his father in February 2024, shortly after it was announced that the king was undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
South Asian WW2 veterans

The commemoration event honoured two South Asian WW2 veterans who died this year, Havildar Major Rajindar Singh Dhatt MBE and Sergeant Mohammad Hussain.

X/@britishfuture

South Asian WW2 veterans honoured at London commemoration

TWO South Asian Second World War veterans were honoured at a commemoration event in London on Wednesday, September 10. The ceremony paid tribute to Havildar Major Rajindar Singh Dhatt MBE and Sergeant Mohammad Hussain, who both died this year.

The event, hosted by British Future and Eastern Eye with support from the Royal British Legion, also launched My Family Legacy, a project to raise awareness of South Asian contributions in the world wars and preserve family stories for future generations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Phillipson, Powell in two-way Labour deputy leadership race

Bridget Phillipson (L), Lucy Powell (Photo: Getty Images)

Phillipson, Powell in two-way Labour deputy leadership race

IT WILL be a two-way contest between education secretary Bridget Phillipson and former Commons leader Lucy Powell for the post of Labour’s deputy leader after Emily Thornberry and Paula Barker withdrew from the race on Thursday (11).

Thornberry, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, had secured 13 nominations from Labour MPs while Barker, the Liverpool Wavertree MP, had 14, well short of the 80 needed to progress.

Keep ReadingShow less