Latest news with #MinaSmallman
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: the horrific murders of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman explored
As the nation enjoyed the eased lockdown in June 2020, Bibaa Henry celebrated her birthday with friends and family in Fryent Park, London. But by the next day, nobody could get in touch with Bibaa and her sister Nicole 'Nikki' Smallman. After 36 hours, and continual mistakes by the police, Nikki's boyfriend found the sisters dead in the park. Police failures didn't stop there – horrifically, officers at the crime scene took photos of the bodies and shared them. In this powerful three-part documentary, the siblings are remembered and their mother Mina Smallman explains what happened as the murder investigation launched – alongside her campaign against police misconduct. Hollie Richardson 11 May 1985 started as a day of celebration: football team Bradford City had been promoted and were playing the final game of the season at their home ground Valley Parade. But a fire blazed through one of the stands and killed 56 people. The disaster – which propelled vital change in safety regulations – is rarely talked about. This shattering film on the 40th anniversary of the fire rectifies that, with survivors, family members of victims, players and former ground staff recounting the events of the tragedy but also giving a wonderful ode to the football community and the people of Bradford. HR Baby Reindeer and Mr Bates vs the Post Office lead this year's TV Bafta nominations with four, followed by three for Slow Horses, Rivals, Mr Loverman and Say Nothing. Brilliant shows such as Alma's Not Normal and Wolf Hall are up for awards, too. The winners will be announced at the Royal Festival Hall in London, where Alan Cumming hosts. HR That was then, this is meow: an evening celebrating the first lady of UK musical theatre sees the star of Cats, Evita, Chess and many more reflecting on her remarkable career with Zoe Ball. Other highlights include a rare screening of time-travelling 1983 musical A Night on the Town and Paige's 2014 concert film I'm Still Here. Graeme Virtue Back to the villa for the first ever UK dating show to feature exclusively gay men – with the twist being that once matched, they kiss to check their physical chemistry, then deal with everything else later. Episode one revolves round the Big Gay Gala, where host Dannii Minogue is already offering temptation beyond the allotted pairings. Jack Seale It's the turn of former footballer and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker to face Britain's fiercest – and funniest – interviewers. He looks nervous, as well he might, but after getting the basics out of the way ('You play football? And you shit yourself?'), the conversation veers into more tender and unexpected territory. Ellen E Jones Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954), 12pm, Great! Action Nicholas Ray's western is one of the great misnamed films. Sterling Hayden's titular gunslinger does kick the plot off, but it's his old flame, saloon owner Vienna (a fierce, forceful Joan Crawford), who is the drama's blazing heart. With a railroad being built nearby, she faces opposition from townsfolk who fear change – and blame her for it, not least Mercedes McCambridge's Emma. But in this classic of queer coding, does Emma's wrath hide a secret desire for Vienna? Check out Crawford's costume changes for a sign of who wears the trousers round here. Simon Wardell Rodeo (Lola Quivoron, 2022), 1am, Channel 4The subculture of urban dirt-bike riding in France is a fruitful milieu for Lola Quivoron's involving drama. Julie Ledru plays Julia, a motocross devotee who edges her way into an all-male group of riders through her skill at stealing bikes. Her tentative friendship with the imprisoned gang leader's neglected wife and son gives this outsider a sense of belonging, but her independent attitude – and gender – cause hostility from some of the guys. Ledru, continuously on screen, is compelling as a woman who knows she'll only get what she wants in life by taking it. SW IPL Cricket: Punjab Kings v Mumbai Indians, 10.50am, Sky Sports Cricket Delhi v Gujarat follows at 3pm. Premier League Football: Newcastle v Chelsea, 11am, TNT Sports 1 Liverpool v Arsenal is at 4.15pm on Sky Sports Main Event. Premiership Rugby Union: Exeter v Northampton, 2.30pm, TNT Sports 1 From Sandy Park.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Yahoo
Met apology 'slap in face' after PCs shared photos
The mother of two murdered sisters said an apology from the Metropolitan Police "felt like a slap in the face", after two officers were jailed for sharing photos of her daughters' bodies. Mina Smallman told Desert Island Discs she was "celebrated" when the constables were jailed, adding that "hidden pockets of filth" had been "allowed to blossom" in the force. Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death while celebrating Ms Henry's birthday in a park in Wembley, north-west London, in June 2020. Danyal Hussein was jailed for a minimum of 35 years for murdering them as part of a so-called Satanic blood pact. Bibaa and Nicole: The life after death of two sisters 'I can't forgive PCs for photos of my dead girls' Met apologises on anniversary of sisters' murders Former Met constables Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were jailed for two years and nine months for sharing photographs of the sisters on WhatsApp. They described them as "dead birds" in the messaging groups. Former Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick issued a public apology in 2021 on behalf of the force to the family. Asked what her response to that apology was, Ms Smallman told the BBC Radio 4 programme: "It felt like a slap in the face, really. "You say sorry when you bump into someone at the supermarket. Another issue with huge institutions is the arrogance." Ms Smallman, a former teacher and priest, said a police call handler never got back to her after she reported her daughters missing. She added she thought a search was not initially launched by police because of their ethnicity. The 68-year-old said: "Sometimes racism doesn't have language. It's not verbalised. It's what you fail to do and what you communicate within the structures." On being told that police had shared pictures of her daughters, Ms Smallman said she "completely lost it". Listen to Mina Smallman's Desert Island Discs Discussing the police, she said: "Do not do this job to lord it over people. "Do the job because you want to be part of good. So many more of our police - that's who they are. They stand in the gap for us, and we've seen the worst and the best, and you'll never hear me bash the police. "I bash the ones who have managed to squeeze in through poor vetting, lack of funding, hidden pockets of filth that's been allowed to blossom. "I have no words for them and I will take them down. "And I was celebrating when those two were sent to prison." In 2013, Ms Smallman became the first black woman to become an archdeacon in the Church of England, serving Southend in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The retired Anglican priest said she had been able to forgive the killer of her daughters, adding: "We call it the grace of God. "I don't even think about him, and when I'm talking to you now, I have no emotional connection. It's as though he doesn't exist. "And that is a gift because I am a typical mother bear, everything in me would want to do him a damage, and I don't need that in my head space - that would be too much." Ms Smallman said she had not been able to forgive the jailed police officers, saying: "No, that hasn't happened. "And I think the issue is it's to keep the fire alive that makes me want to continue to challenge institutions to do better." London needs more black police - victims' mum Jailed ex-Met PC committed gross misconduct - IOPC Ex-Met chief gaslighted me, says killed sisters' mum The Old Bailey heard that Jaffer and Lewis, neither of whom was wearing forensic protection, were tasked with protecting the scene in June 2020. While at the scene Jaffer took four pictures of the bodies in situ and Lewis took two, and superimposed his face on a third to create a "selfie-style" picture. The court heard that the behaviour of the officers allowed Hussein to put forward the false defence that incriminating DNA evidence could have been contaminated. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
Telegraph
16-02-2025
- Telegraph
Met apology ‘felt like slap in the face', says mother of murdered sisters
The mother of two murdered sisters said an apology from the Metropolitan Police 'felt like a slap in the face', after two officers were jailed for sharing photos of their bodies. Mina Smallman, 68, told the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs that she was 'celebrating' when the constables were jailed, adding that 'hidden pockets of filth' had been 'allowed to blossom' in the force. Ms Smallman's daughters, Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death while celebrating a birthday in a park in Wembley, north-west London, in June 2020. Danyal Hussein was jailed for a minimum of 35 years for murdering them as part of a Satanic blood pact. Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis, former Met constables, were jailed for two years and nine months for sharing photographs of the sisters on WhatsApp. They described them as 'dead birds' in the messaging groups. Dame Cressida Dick, a former Met Commissioner, issued a public apology in 2021 on behalf of the force to the family. Asked what her response to that apology was, Ms Smallman told the programme: 'It felt like a slap in the face, really. You say sorry when you bump into someone at the supermarket. 'Another issue with huge institutions is the arrogance.' Ms Smallman, a former teacher and priest, said a police call handler never got back to her after she reported her daughters as missing. She added that she thought a search was not initially launched by police because of their ethnicity. Ms Smallman said: 'Sometimes racism doesn't have language. It's not verbalised. It's what you fail to do and what you communicate within the structures.' On being told that police had shared pictures of her daughters, Ms Smallman said she 'completely lost it'. Discussing the police, she said: 'Do not do this job to lord it over people. 'Do the job because you want to be part of good. So many more of our police – that's who they are. They stand in the gap for us, and we've seen the worst and the best, and you'll never hear me bash the police. 'I bash the ones who have managed to squeeze in through poor lack of vetting, lack of funding, hidden pockets of filth that's been allowed to blossom. 'I have no words for them and I will take them down. And I was celebrating when those two were sent to prison.' In 2013, Ms Smallman became the first black woman to become an archdeacon in the Church of England, serving Southend in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The retired Anglican priest said she had been able to forgive the killer of her daughters, adding: 'We call it the grace of God. I don't even think about him, and when I'm talking to you now, I have no emotional connection. It's as though he doesn't exist. 'And that is a gift because I am a typical mother bear, everything in me would want to do him damage, and I don't need that in my headspace – that would be too much.' Ms Smallman said she had not been able to forgive the jailed police officers, saying: 'No, that hasn't happened. 'And I think the issue is it's to keep the fire alive that makes me want to continue to challenge institutions to do better.' The Old Bailey heard that Jaffer and Lewis, neither of whom were wearing forensic protection, were tasked with protecting the scene in June 2020. While at the scene Jaffer took four pictures of the bodies in situ and Lewis took two, and superimposed his face on a third to create a 'selfie-style' picture. The court heard that the behaviour of the officers allowed Hussein to put forward the false defence that incriminating DNA evidence could have been contaminated.
The Independent
16-02-2025
- The Independent
Met apology felt like a slap in the face, says mother of murdered sisters
The mother of two murdered sisters said an apology from the Metropolitan Police 'felt like a slap in the face', after two officers were jailed for sharing photos of their bodies. Mina Smallman told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that she was 'celebrating' when the constables were jailed, adding that 'hidden pockets of filth' had been 'allowed to blossom' in the force. Ms Smallman's daughters, Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death while celebrating a birthday in a park in Wembley, north-west London, in June 2020. Danyal Hussein was jailed for a minimum of 35 years for murdering them as part of a Satanic blood pact. Former Met constables Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were jailed for two years and nine months for sharing photographs of the sisters on WhatsApp. They described them as 'dead birds' in the messaging groups. Former Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick issued a public apology in 2021 on behalf of the force to the family. Asked what her response to that apology was, Ms Smallman told the BBC Radio 4 programme: 'It felt like a slap in the face, really. You say sorry when you bump into someone at the supermarket. 'Another issue with huge institutions is the arrogance.' Ms Smallman, a former teacher and priest, said a police call handler never got back to her after she reported her daughters as missing. She added that she thought a search was not initially launched by police because of their ethnicity. Ms Smallman, 68, said: 'Sometimes racism doesn't have language. It's not verbalised. It's what you fail to do and what you communicate within the structures.' On being told that police had shared pictures of her daughters, Ms Smallman said she 'completely lost it'. Discussing the police, she said: 'Do not do this job to lord it over people. 'Do the job because you want to be part of good. So many more of our police – that's who they are. They stand in the gap for us, and we've seen the worst and the best, and you'll never hear me bash the police. 'I bash the ones who have managed to squeeze in through poor lack of vetting, lack of funding, hidden pockets of filth that's been allowed to blossom. 'I have no words for them and I will take them down. And I was celebrating when those two were sent to prison.' In 2013, Ms Smallman became the first black woman to become an archdeacon in the Church of England, serving Southend in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The retired Anglican priest said she had been able to forgive the killer of her daughters, adding: 'We call it the grace of God. I don't even think about him, and when I'm talking to you now, I have no emotional connection. It's as though he doesn't exist. 'And that is a gift because I am a typical mother bear, everything in me would want to do him a damage, and I don't need that in my head space – that would be too much.' Ms Smallman said she had not been able to forgive the jailed police officers, saying: 'No, that hasn't happened. 'And I think the issue is it's to keep the fire alive that makes me want to continue to challenge institutions to do better.' The Old Bailey heard that Jaffer and Lewis, neither of whom was wearing forensic protection, were tasked with protecting the scene in June 2020. While at the scene Jaffer took four pictures of the bodies in situ and Lewis took two, and superimposed his face on a third to create a 'selfie-style' picture. The court heard that the behaviour of the officers allowed Hussein to put forward the false defence that incriminating DNA evidence could have been contaminated.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Yahoo
Met apology felt like a slap in the face, says mother of murdered sisters
The mother of two murdered sisters said an apology from the Metropolitan Police 'felt like a slap in the face', after two officers were jailed for sharing photos of their bodies. Mina Smallman told Desert Island Discs that she was 'celebrating' when the constables were jailed, adding that 'hidden pockets of filth' had been 'allowed to blossom' in the force. Ms Smallman's daughters, Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death while celebrating a birthday in a park in Wembley, north-west London, in June 2020. Danyal Hussein was jailed for a minimum of 35 years for murdering them as part of a Satanic blood pact. Former Met constables Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were jailed for two years and nine months for sharing photographs of the sisters on WhatsApp. They described them as 'dead birds' in the messaging groups. Former Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick issued a public apology in 2021 on behalf of the force to the family. Asked what her response to that apology was, Ms Smallman told the BBC Radio 4 programme: 'It felt like a slap in the face, really. You say sorry when you bump into someone at the supermarket. 'Another issue with huge institutions is the arrogance.' Ms Smallman, a former teacher and priest, said a police call handler never got back to her after she reported her daughters as missing. She added that she thought a search was not initially launched by police because of their ethnicity. Ms Smallman, 68, said: 'Sometimes racism doesn't have language. It's not verbalised. It's what you fail to do and what you communicate within the structures.' On being told that police had shared pictures of her daughters, Ms Smallman said she 'completely lost it'. Discussing the police, she said: 'Do not do this job to lord it over people. 'Do the job because you want to be part of good. So many more of our police – that's who they are. They stand in the gap for us, and we've seen the worst and the best, and you'll never hear me bash the police. 'I bash the ones who have managed to squeeze in through poor lack of vetting, lack of funding, hidden pockets of filth that's been allowed to blossom. 'I have no words for them and I will take them down. And I was celebrating when those two were sent to prison.' In 2013, Ms Smallman became the first black woman to become an archdeacon in the Church of England, serving Southend in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The retired Anglican priest said she had been able to forgive the killer of her daughters, adding: 'We call it the grace of God. I don't even think about him, and when I'm talking to you now, I have no emotional connection. It's as though he doesn't exist. 'And that is a gift because I am a typical mother bear, everything in me would want to do him a damage, and I don't need that in my head space – that would be too much.' Ms Smallman said she had not been able to forgive the jailed police officers, saying: 'No, that hasn't happened. 'And I think the issue is it's to keep the fire alive that makes me want to continue to challenge institutions to do better.' The Old Bailey heard that Jaffer and Lewis, neither of whom was wearing forensic protection, were tasked with protecting the scene in June 2020. While at the scene Jaffer took four pictures of the bodies in situ and Lewis took two, and superimposed his face on a third to create a 'selfie-style' picture. The court heard that the behaviour of the officers allowed Hussein to put forward the false defence that incriminating DNA evidence could have been contaminated.
