Wembley murders: Victims’ mother thanks police despite officers who took selfie with bodies
The brave mother of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman has praised police for bringing the killer to justice, saying that “this is the kind of police force that I believe in”.
Mina Smallman, the Church of England's first female archdeacon of black and minority ethnic descent, has previously criticised officers for failing to treat the case seriously.
She also condemned the actions of two “despicable” police constables who are accused of taking photos with the bodies while they were supposed to be guarding the crime scene in Wembley, north London.
However, after Danyal Hussein was convicted of the murders at the Old Bailey, Ms Smallman said the team investigating the case had “moved heaven and earth” to support the family.
Speaking outside the court, she said: “I have made no bones about my complaints with the Metropolitan Police office but today I have to say I can only commend them.
“This team moved heaven and earth to ensure we felt that we were being supported.
“This is the kind of police force that I believe in and we need to work towards so we have justice and families are treated with respect.”
She added: “Today we remember our girls as the wonderful, strong women they were and we hope that some good will come out of this horrible story.”
Ms Smallman had earlier told of her reaction to learning her daughters had been found dead. “I instantly fell to my knees and began screaming, screaming and screaming,” she said. “I sobbed for ages, I have no idea how long for, I lost all concept of time.
“No-one expects their children to die before them but to have two out of three of your children to be murdered on the same night is just incomprehensible.
“As a person of faith, a follower of Christ, losing two of my girls in this way could have been enough to shake a person’s faith. Fortunately it didn’t.”
She went on: “Our family’s grief was further compounded by the cordon officers who will now be known as despicable 1 and 2, any inner strength I had reserved had been torn away.”
Mrs Smallman added that hearing details of the crime revealed in court had been “horrific”.
She said: “To hear that our girls were dragged along the grass so their clothes were pulled up then placed in some kind of macabre position, it makes you think that this is a person who actually doesn’t have a heart. There can be no connection with humanity.”
The police watchdog is investigating the Met’s failure to send out officers until 36 hours after they had last been seen alive.
Two police officers have been charged with misconduct in public office and are due to appear at the Old Bailey at a later date.
Additional reporting by Press Association
