Mina Smallman: Killed sisters' mum says ex-Met chief gaslighted her

In her first BBC interview since Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick's resignation, Mina Smallman tells Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour that she believes she was gaslighted over the investigations into the Met Police's handling of her daughters’ murders.

Mina Smallman is the mother of the murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, who were stabbed to death in a park in Wembley in 2020, having been enjoying a birthday celebration.

Two Met Police constables were sent to guard the scene where the sisters’ bodies were found, but instead left their post to take photos of the women and send mocking messages about them on WhatsApp groups.

They pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office, were sacked and then jailed for 33 months in December last year.

Ms Smallman also spoke about how triggering she found a report published two weeks ago by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which revealed the behaviour of some Met Police officers at Charing Cross station. It found that some officers joked about rape and exchanged offensive social media messages.

The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for a comment.

15 February 2022