Mina Smallman refuses to forgive officers who took selfies of her murdered daughters, citing police failings.
Smallman is an activist for women’s safety and campaigns for police reform. She appeared on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. Her daughters were Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
They were murdered in June 2020 in Fryent Country Park, Brent. The sisters celebrated Bibaa’s 46th birthday. Danyal Hussein murdered them a year later and received a life sentence for their murders.
He saw this as a “satanic sacrifice.” Two officers were jailed for misconduct for taking selfies with the bodies. A report came out in 2021 looking into the sisters’ deaths.
The police response was below standard. Worried friends and family called the Met Police. The IOPC advised the police to apologize, and Dame Cressida Dick, then the Met Commissioner, apologized publicly.
Smallman recalled the days before finding the bodies and talked about police failings. Nicole’s boyfriend called her. He asked if she had seen Nicole, as Nicole never came home.
He called police and hospitals, but couldn’t find her. Smallman called the police handler, who promised a call back but never called. Then, Nicole’s boyfriend called again.
He said, “Mina, you need to sit down. They’re gone.” She let out a scream that came from her soul and lost all hope. Smallman felt disconnected from the world.
She prepared to bury her daughters. The IOPC wanted to talk to her. Graham, the lead person, trembled and said he had two daughters, struggling to tell her the news.
Smallman said her language was blue, and they wondered if she was really a priest. She isn’t a “police basher” but criticizes the policing system because some bad people got through.
They got in because of poor vetting and a lack of funding. Filth blossomed in hidden pockets. Smallman forgave her daughters’ murderer. However, she hasn’t forgiven the officers, Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis, who took the awful selfies. She celebrated when they went to prison.
Not forgiving keeps her fire alive, as she wants to challenge institutions. She criticized Sir Mark Rowley’s refusal, as he wouldn’t agree with a 2023 review that said the force was racist and misogynist. Racism can be what you fail to do.
She spoke about coping with her husband Chris. They don’t judge how they grieve and give each other space. They laugh at every chance, because laughter keeps them going.
She dedicated a song to her living daughter. The song was “Hit Me with your Rhythm Stick.” It’s very hard being the last one left, and she wants her to have a life.
Smallman thanked other mothers who lost daughters, as their love has kept her going. She spoke about her early life too. Her mother had poor mental health and was a drama teacher.
Later, she became a priest. In 2013, she made history as the first colored woman archdeacon. It sustained her through difficult times. They recorded Desert Island Discs in January.