Two police officers have been arrested after they allegedly took a selfie with the bodies of two sisters who had been murdered.
Nicole Smallman, 26, and her half-sister Bibaa Henry, 47, were found dead in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, North-West London, earlier this month – two days after they were reported missing.
Scotland Yard tonight revealed two serving Metropolitan Police Constables were arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.
Allegations pictures had been taken at the scene and shared with a ‘small number’ of others emerged last week. It was later claimed the officers took a selfie with the bodies of the women and shared it on WhatsApp.
Bibaa and Nicole were murdered in the early hours of June 6 after celebrating Bibaa’s 46th birthday with a group of friends.
A stranger, now confirmed to be male, killed the half-sisters in a vicious knife attack sometime after 1 am.
The women’s bodies were found after 1 pm on June 7 next to each other in a treeline, with a post-mortem examination later revealing that they both died from multiple stab wounds.
Allegations emerged last week that ‘non-official and inappropriate photographs’ had been taken at the murder scene.
Dawn Butler MP, whose constituency borders the park where the women were found, told Channel 4: ‘It is so disturbing that it is just unthinkable. To take a selfie with two dead women and then to share that with a forum on a Whatsapp group it makes you wonder just whats going on and what these officers have been up to previously.’
Senior officers said they were ‘horrified and disgusted’ by the allegations, and said that Nicole and Bibaa’s grieving parents have been informed of the ‘deeply disturbing’ development.
The officers, who have not been named but who are based with the Met’s North-East Command, have been suspended from duty while the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) continue to investigate.
It said The Met is handling matters involving those members of the public who may have received those images.
IOPC Director for London Sal Naseem said: ‘These are sickening allegations and when we were made aware by the Metropolitan Police, we acted quickly to arrest the officers involved in order to seize vital evidence.
‘The victims’ family are naturally extremely distressed at this turn of events and we are ensuring that they are updated as our investigation is progressing.’
The sisters’ mother is 63-year-old Wilhelmina Smallman, the former Archdeacon of Southend, in the diocese of Chelmsford. She was the first BAME Archdeacon in the Anglican church.
The two Metropolitan Police Constables were arrested by IOPC investigators on Monday, and have been bailed, pending further enquiries.
Met Commander Paul Brogden said he was ‘horrified and disgusted’ by the allegations but could not comment further while the investigation was ongoing.
He added: ‘If true, these actions are morally reprehensible and anyone involved will be robustly dealt with.
‘I am limited in terms of being able to comment further about the matter at this time in order not to compromise the IOPC investigation.’
