Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman: Met apologises on anniversary of murders

The bodies of Bibaa Henry (left) and Nicole Smallman were found in bushes at Fryent Country Park in Wembley

The Met Police has apologised to the mother, family and friends of two murdered sisters whose bodies were photographed by officers, on the second anniversary of their deaths.

The bodies of Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were found in Fryent Country Park, Wembley, on 7 June 2020.

Two Met PCs were jailed for sharing photos of the murder scene and calling them "dead birds" in WhatsApp messages.

"We are very sorry for the way we responded," a Met spokeswoman said.

PCs Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were sent to guard the scene where the bodies of Ms Smallman and Ms Henry were found.

The men were each jailed for 33 months after admitting photographing the bodies of the two women and sharing the images, with the sisters' mother, Mina Smallman, calling what the men did a "betrayal of catastrophic proportions".

They were later sacked by the police force.

On the second anniversary of the discovery of the women in the park, the Met police said: "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Mina Smallman and the family and friends of Nicole and Bibaa for their tragic loss.

"The level of service we provided was below the standard it should have been and no doubt compounded the distress felt by their loved ones.

'Rebuild Londoners' trust'

"And we are sorry for the truly despicable actions of PCs Jaffer and Lewis. They are in prison because of it.

"Improving the culture and standards within the Met is a priority for us, as we seek to rebuild Londoners' trust and confidence in their police service."

Ms Henry and Ms Smallman had been celebrating the older sister's birthday on the night they were murdered

The Met has previously apologised for the way officers responded when the two sisters were reported missing. The apology came 10-months after the deaths.

A missing persons log was incorrectly closed and inquiries were not progressed by police on the day the sisters went missing.

Their bodies were found a day later during a search organised by the victims' family and friends.

Deniz Jaffer (left) and Jamie Lewis had undermined trust in the police, a judge at the Old Bailey said when they were jailed

Following the trial of the two PCs, Ms Smallman said she had been "gaslit" by then Met Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.

During the investigation into the officers' conduct, Dame Cressida implied it was "an isolated incident" within the force, Ms Smallman said. At the time there were several live investigations into inappropriate behaviour by Met officers.

Danyal Hussein, 19, from Blackheath, was found guilty of murdering the sisters and jailed for a minimum of 35 years in October 2021.

Meanwhile, to mark the second anniversary of the murders, the Women's Equality Party organised a march along 10 miles (16km) from Fryent Park to New Scotland Yard.

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]