Danyal Hussein, 19, has been convicted on two counts of murder in the cases of sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, who were stabbed to death on June 6 last year, around the Fryent Country Park area in London’s Wembley.
The court heard how Nicole and Bibaa had been out with a group of friends to celebrate Nicole’s 46th birthday, and when their friends left, it was said that they decided to stay out as they were enjoying themselves. But ater they failed to make it back home after the festivities, their loved ones went back to the park to look for them. Two days after that, two pairs of sunglasses and a knife was found. Adam Stone, Nicole’s partner, was on the phone to the police when he spotted the sisters’ bodies in a nearby undergrowth.
In a bleak, twisted turn of events, Hussein—a teen on the autistic spectrum—claimed to have “drawn up” a contract in his own blood with a demon to sacrifice the sisters in exchange for winning the lottery. Currently, the killings are not being treated as a terror attack. However, a police investigation reported that Hussein experienced “a form of radicalisation” after being exposed to disturbing content on the dark web.
The mother of the deceased, Rev Mina Smallman, told The Guardian: “No one expects their children to die before them but to have two of your three children murdered overnight is just incomprehensible.”
Investigators believe Hussein would’ve likely killed more people had it not been for his injured hands when he murdered the sisters. After the double homicide, Hussein checked himself into the hospital for treatment and used the faux alibi he was robbed at knifepoint.
DCI Simon Harding said: “My team and I are convinced that he would have gone on to commit more murders, and we would have been looking at anything up to six in the first six months if he fulfilled his contract.”
According to investigators, Hussein resided in Blackheath, South East London, and had contacted people about perverse demons and spells. Some of the spells were believed to make women deem Hussein as attractive. Unfortunately, police remain primarily in the dark about other materials Hussein consumed.
The deaths of Nicole and Bibaa are more harrowing as it was revealed that Hussein was referred under a counter-terrorism prevention programme in 2017. This was because he allegedly showed signs of early radiational almost four years ago.
After the programme, Hussein was assessed at the Channel programme—a voluntary strand under Prevent that seeks to provide early intervention and support for vulnerable populations. In 2018, Hussein was discharged, with his assessment indicating there were no further concerns. Sadly, in retrospect, the programme proved ill-fated.
Rest in peace, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry.
