Man, 18, charged with murder of two sisters in London park
An 18-year-old man has been charged with murdering two sisters in a London park.
Sisters Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, were believed to have been stabbed to death in Fryent Country Park, Wembley, north-west London, on June 6 after celebrating Ms Henry’s birthday with friends.
Danyal Hussein, 18, from Blackheath, south-east London, was arrested at home yesterday and has since been charged with both murders and possession of an offensive weapon, the Metropolitan Police said. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.
North West BCU Commander Roy Smith said: ‘I would like to thank the local community for their support both with the investigation and the police activity at and around the scene.
‘I know that colleagues from across the Met have been working tirelessly on this investigation. My officers will remain on patrol in the local area providing continued reassurance – please do stop and speak with them if you have any questions or concerns.’
Yesterday Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, who is leading the investigation, urged anyone with ‘relevant information’ to come forward.
He added: ‘This investigation into the awful death of two sisters is of course a priority for the MPS and my officers have been working around the clock to identify the person responsible.
‘A team of forensic officers have been a constant presence at the park over the last few weeks carrying out meticulous fingertip searches at what is a vast and complex crime scene.
‘Whilst that work has now concluded, smaller searches in outer areas of the park will continue. To date officers have recovered more than 1,000 exhibits – including property belonging to both Nicole and Bibaa, collected hours of CCTV and visited hundreds of homes and businesses. And those enquiries remain ongoing.’
Last week two Metropolitan Police officers were arrested for allegedly taking slefies with the bodies of Ms Smallman and Ms Henry, who lived in the north-west London boroughs of Harrow and Brent, respectively.
They were both suspended from duty after it was claimed they shared inappropriate photos of the crime scene on a WhatsApp group.
Mina Smallman told the BBC that the pictures ‘dehumanised’ her children and said the ordeal has ‘taken out grief to another place.
She added: ‘If ever we needed an example of how toxic it has become, those police officers felt so safe, so untouchable, that they felt they could take photographs of dead black girls and send them on.
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