Mother of murdered sisters calls for Cressida Dick to ‘go’ over case handling
Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were out celebrating a birthday when they were killed in June last year
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The mother of two sisters who were murdered has called for Dame Cressida Dick to "go" over the way in which the Metropolitan Police handled the case.
Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46 were out celebrating a birthday in June last year when they were stabbed to death in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, northwest London by 19-year-old Danyal Hussein.
Two Met Police officers, Pc Deniz Jaffer and Pc Jamie Lewis, later admitted to having shared images of the dead womens’ bodies on WhatsApp.
Earlier this month, the pair pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office held at the Old Bailey, with their sentencing due to happen on 6 December.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the victims’ mother, Mina Smallman, said: "We knew that this was going to happen, that was going to be the result, but our case is almost a test case because the sentencing happens at the Old Bailey on 6 December.
"Now the issue is Jaffer had already resigned from the Met,” she added.
She went on: "Normally, there have been cases where they have refused them to resign, so the question is ‘Why have they done that?"’
"But I think it’s a starting point. I know the Met know they’re being watched, their every move, we’ve drawn attention to that."
Following the death of the sisters, the two officers were assigned to protect the scene overnight, but instead of doing this they breached the police cordon to take photographs.
These "inappropriate" and "unauthorised" images of the bodies were then shared on WhatsApp.
Jaffer took four photographs, while Lewis superimposed his own face onto a picture with the two victims in the background.
Lewis was also found to have shared crime scene pictures with a WhatsApp group of more than 40 officers known as the "A Team", using "degrading and sexist" language to describe the victims.
Ms Smallman said she felt that this was not “a one-off”
She explained: "As soon as I heard that, I said ‘This is not a one-off.’ You don’t start breaching your position with this being your first move. This is going to be much bigger.
"We were told it had been sent out to members of the public. So, at the point they were being investigated, they had sent it to a doctor and a dentist who were part of the WhatsApp group and the IOPC went to them and investigated them."
Ms Smallman questioned how the men could act in this way.
She added: "It took me to the depths of darkness of how on earth could you do that? Up until that point I had never imagined what the girls’ dead bodies looked like, but now and since then I have flashes of what I think that picture is."
Following the men’s guilty pleas, Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick issued a formal apology to the family, calling their behaviour “utterly unprofessional, disrespectful and deeply insensitive.”
She said: "What former Pc Jaffer and Pc Lewis chose to do that day was utterly unprofessional, disrespectful and deeply insensitive. I know that is the view of colleagues across the Met who utterly condemn this behaviour."
Ms Smallman however, was not impressed by the statement from the Met Commissioner.
The retired Anglican priest and former school teacher commented: "I thought it was the worst presentation - she was shaking like a leaf, it was all scripted. This is the woman who’s going to tackle what we’re up against in the Met.
"I don’t think so. It’s time for her to go."
Meanwhile, a statement from Met Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends and we deeply regret the additional distress this matter’s caused them.
"We’re profoundly sorry personally and on behalf of the Met."
Additional reporting by PA