Trial begins into alleged murder of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry

Danyal Hussein, 19, allegedly stabbed Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, multiple times in the early hours of Saturday June 6 last year.

Earlier that night, Ms Henry had been celebrating her birthday with her sister and friends in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London.

The bodies of the two women - who were the daughters of former Archdecon of Southend, Mina Smallman - were found intertwined and concealed in a hedgerow the next day.

Police allegedly uncovered a handwritten note in Hussein's home purporting to make a bargain with a demon to "sacrifice" women for gain.

The defendant also bought lottery tickets, three of which were folded inside the note, jurors were told.

Opening Hussein's murder trial at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC told how the women had chosen to go to the park due to restrictions during the first lockdown.

He said the sisters had enjoyed themselves so much that they decided to stay on after their guests had left and lit fairy lights, listened to music and danced.

When they failed to come home, their loved ones became concerned and some of their closest friends went back to the park to search.

Police were alerted after the women's glasses were discovered by the searchers.

A few moments later a knife was found lying in the grass.

A trail of flattened grass led to the "shocking" discovery of the bodies, Mr Glasgow said.

The prosecutor said the women had been "butchered" one after the other.

Describing the scene, he said: "The bodies of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman lay on their sides, they were top to toe and their limbs were intertwined, both of them had been repeatedly stabbed and they were clearly dead.

"The attack upon them had been as savage as it was devastating."

Ms Henry was stabbed eight times and Ms Smallman was stabbed 28 times, jurors heard.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Mina Smallman looking on as Danyal Hussein appears in the dock at the Old Bailey

Mr Glasgow suggested Ms Henry was taken by surprise and overpowered first, then Ms Smallman attempted to fight off her attacker.

"Once the two sisters had been brutally murdered, their killer dragged their bodies across the grass and concealed them in a hedgerow," he said.

The court heard that a combination of forensic evidence and CCTV footage led police to Hussein.

His DNA was at the scene, on the bodies of the victims and on a bloodstained knife found nearby, it was alleged.

In addition, Hussein had allegedly bought a set of knives in Asda and attended hospital the day after the killings with cuts to his hand from a knife.

Investigators also uncovered handwritten notes at the defendant's home setting out his intention to kill women "as part of a sacrifice to secure personal advantage for himself", Mr Glasgow said.

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He told jurors: "When the defendant's bedroom was searched, the police found a handwritten document purporting to be an agreement between the defendant and a demon, in which he promised to sacrifice women in order to win the lottery and not to be suspected of any crime he had committed.

"It would appear that the defendant had confidence that his plan would work since following the fatal attacks upon Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, the defendant purchased several lottery tickets and three lottery tickets folded up inside the agreement he had written with the devil."

Mr Glasgow added: "As it turned out, the demon did not come good on the bargain since not only did the defendant not win the lottery but the police identified all the evidence that links him to these two murders."

Hussein, of Guy Barnett Grove, Blackheath, south-east London, has denied double murder and possessing a knife.

The court was told Hussein did not accept it was him in CCTV footage or that any of the blood and DNA evidence was found because he had been present at the scene or taken part in the violence.

The trial before Mrs Justice Whipple is due to go on for up to four weeks.