The mother of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman has said violence against women has reached “endemic” proportions.
Mina Smallman released a joint statement with Brent Central MP Dawn Butler on Monday, June 6 on the two year anniversary of the deaths.
Bibaa and Nicole were stabbed to death by Danyal Hussein in Fryent Country Park, Kingsbury, in 2020. Their attacker was heard to have made a pact with an imaginative demon to murder six women every six months in return for winning the lottery. Hussein is serving a minimum of 35 years in prison.
“They must never be forgotten along with the countless other women whose lives have been taken too soon at the hands of men,” the statement said.
“Violence against women and girls has reached endemic proportions. It is a stain on society and our duty is to keep campaigning for change that is so desperately needed. We want to provide a platform and a force for change.”
In the aftermath of the incident, police officers Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were charged with misconduct after taking selfies with the dead bodies. They were later sentenced to two years and nine months in jail.
This incident was said to be a contributing factor in the eventual resignation of Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick.
The statement continued: “We call for long overdue action at the heart of our institutions to ensure the safety of women and girls, so that tragedies like this will never happen again. Continuing as we are will not solve it – we need systemic, institutional reforms.
“The Government and Metropolitan Police must undertake coordinated sustainable action to tackle violence against women and girls – on the streets, in the home, in the workplace, online and wherever else it may take place. Because enough is enough.
“Action must also be taken to address the repeated instances of misconduct by some officers within the Met Police. The repeated incidents of unacceptable and at times criminal behaviour, as well as the large number of allegations of sexual misconduct, is extremely concerning. The Met have a well-developed action plan to rebuild faith in their police service. This must include the dismissal of ‘bad apple’ police officers.”
The statement added: “Finally, we believe that the new Metropolitan police commissioner must acknowledge the institutional racism and misogyny that still exists within the service.”
The Metropolitan Police has been approached for a response.
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