Wimbledon school case re-opened

[bookworm8500]

Just that really. Those poor families and children 😪 I wonder what on earth is happening and why it has been reopened. It says there were flaws in the initial investigation

I have to say that my own experience of police accident investigators, albeit in another part of the country, doesn't fill me with confidence. Nobody was killed, but I was seriously injured and they made some fairly fundamental errors, including measuring the wrong tyre marks. Fortunately the other driver pleaded guilty but if he hadn't and had been found not guilty on the basis of the investigation I would have been very angry. I can quite understand why the families in this case want to be sure that no stone was left unturned, even if the eventual outcome is no different.

In my opinion demands to receive 'justice' are often demands for a different outcome after due process has been gone through.

The LBC interview was heartbreaking, the police have treated those parents badly imo.

You'd like to think the police would have looked at stuff like skid marks and if no sign of braking that’s a good sign the person was unconscious at the time.

Perhaps they are the type of questions the parents have asked.

I can quite understand why the families in this case want to be sure that no stone was left unturned, even if the eventual outcome is no different.

Im not sure why so many struggle with the above thinking, they likely feel they owe it to their children.

Sorry, I meant in the days/weeks after the incident. It’s possible she had a second seizure some time later with friends/family who saw the second one.

I suppose the problem is is that someone’s medical information is confidential. The police (and yes the CPS) will know what they know but medical information can’t be shared with the parents (unless the driver agrees). So they may never get the information they want.

Apparently its very very hard to spot epilepsy on brain scans after just 1 episode

That’s not exactly correct. Epilepsy isn’t diagnosed until someone has had more than one seizure (because people can occasional have a one-off seizure that isn’t related to epilepsy). However, if there’s abnormal electrical activity in the brain, then that can be seen after just one seizure if an EEG is done. It’s not that they can’t see the abnormal activity until after lots of seizures, it’s that a diagnosis of epilepsy requires two or more seizures. As an example, a friend had a seizure but that was the only one they ever had - a one-off, therefore they weren’t diagnosed with epilepsy. They did have to wait for the all-clear before driving though.

@DanielaDressen Would the victims families be told of that if so?

It was such a terrible thing to happen. The least that those parents are owed is a thorough, competent investigation and an opportunity for them to have the conclusions thoroughly explained to them, with a chance to ask specific questions. It may still end with no charges being brought but they should know why that’s the case.

I agree

I thought the families' objection was that they hadn't seen the evidence, as there was no trial.

But why would they see medical information? What will be different this time?

@Ottobeak thats not what their interview with the BBC implies.

From the BBC article. This is the father of Selena Lau who was killed in the crash.

Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Mr Lau said the decision to close the first investigation had left his family "upset".
"We were confused at how they made their decision, because some of the things they told us just didn't tally up to what we understood to have happened and what other witnesses saw," he said.
Mr Lau added the families of those affected were concerned key witnesses had not been spoken to during the original investigation.
"We thought (the police) must have looked at certain pieces of evidence, obtained certain documents and interviewed certain people and I think they themselves have told us that that was not the case, and that's why they've reopened (the investigation)," he said.
Mr Lau added his family would be "quite happy" to accept the original conclusion "if we were told the investigation was conducted thoroughly", adding, "that is obviously not the case".
"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.
"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.”

Surely the woman's medical information should be confidential. It shouldn't be public knowledge unless she consents. The CPS were satisfied with what they were told. The parents of these poor children have no right to see her medical information.

I feel sorry for her, the police said there was no case to answer and now this.

The police seem to have let everyone down.

@CwmYoy why do you think they are demanding her medical information is made public? The seizure was her defence

I don’t think they’re asking for medical records at all. I think they’re asking for confirmation from the police that it was thoroughly investigated and that the police saw all relevant documents. Which the police themselves have discovered they hadn’t, hence the reopening of the investigation.

There was no case, so no experts and no defence or prosecution.

@XelaM you can absolutely drive with epilepsy though

Absolutely and the police have basically said right look we need to look at this again

Epilepsy is 100% a clinical diagnosis and the best evidence of it is a witnessed or ideally video recorded seizure. Failing that (and in the days before everyone had a smartphone) it is completely legitimate to diagnose on the basis of a witness report of a typical seizure.

Structural brain scans like CT or MRI cannot diagnose epilepsy as there is usually no structural abnormality

A recording of brain waves (EEG) can be negative even when someone has epilepsy unless they are actually having a seizure at the time. Sometimes 24hr recordings can be helpful but a negative EEG doesn't rule out epilepsy

She says this was her first ever seizure.
Either there was evidence of subsequent ones or there was some other evidence shown on EEG or something else to diagnose. One of the telling features is that someone who had a full on grand mal seizure like this would be very sleepy/ confused for quite a period afterwards. Witness and police reports would back that up and if she had a negative drug and alcohol screen then a seizure is high up the list of possible causes.

I don't know what it would add to interview every single person at the scene in any case. The facts of what happened are not denied and are evident it's the cause that presumably is disputed and only a neurologist could reliably pronounce on that.

It was on of the teachers she was with one of the girls that tragically died...she is surely a very key person not just anyone.

She was on the news today at lunch time stating that she expected to have been talked to given her proximity etc with the child.

I read an interview with the parents of one of the little girls. They have so many unanswered questions so I hope this gives them some answers and some peace

I think the parents have a lot of questions as anyone would in such a dreadful situation...