How a birthday picnic in a London park ended in two sisters’ murder and the mystery knifeman’s escape
THE murder of two sisters at a birthday party in a London park has been described in chilling new detail today.
Police have revealed the exact timeline of how Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death following a picnic in Wembley, North West London.
Detectives today launched a fresh appeal to track down the knifeman, who suffered "significant injuries" during the attack before fleeing Fryent Country Park.
Cops believe the attacker's wounds were "on their hands in particular" as they urged anyone with information to contact them.
And they outlined the sisters' final tragic movements in the hours and minutes leading to their brutal killings.
At around 7.40pm on Friday, June 5, Nicole, Bibaa and a group of people congregated in the park to celebrate Bibaa's 46th birthday.
TIMELINE TO MURDER
By 12.30am on Saturday morning, the two sisters were alone in the park after the other revellers left.
Police believe the siblings were murdered in the next couple of hours.
Their last known contact with family and friends was 1.05am, detectives said.
Nicole and Bibaa were said to be "in good spirits" as they took selfies, listened to music and danced with fairy lights until at least 1:13am.
Detectives released two haunting photographs taken by the victims, which show them dancing with the lights before they were murdered.
Calls to the victims at 2.30am went unanswered.
They were reported missing to police late on Saturday when they failed to return home.
Their bodies were found next to each other in a treeline at the park on Sunday after police were called at 1.08pm.
It is believed the suspect fled the park via the Valley Drive entrance.
Nicole and Bibaa's mobile phones were found in a pond some distance from their bodies.
PARENTS' APPEAL
The sisters' mother, Wilhelmina Smallman, 63, is a former Church of England Archdeacon.
In a statement today, Nicole and Bibaa's parents said: "The pain we feel as a family is so deep no words can express how we are feeling.
"This has had a devastating impact on our lives and each day gets worse to think our daughters, Bibaa and Nicole, are not with us and that they have been brutally killed by someone.
"We are appealing to anyone who may have seen, heard, or know something to please contact the police who are investigating what has happened to our daughters, Bibaa and Nicole.”
'PALPABLE GRIEF'
The family's statement said: "The greatest fear of any parent is that they will outlive their children.
"What makes our situation unique is that two adored sisters were murdered together on the same night.
"The grief we feel is palpable, our beautiful and talented daughters gone."
Bibaa was described as "a hardworking professional" and "an exceptional Senior Social Worker".
She "had the heart of a lion and a smile that would put Blackpool illuminations to shame", the statement said.
Nicole was the youngest of three sisters with her family paying tribute to her as "a joy from the moment she entered this world".
This has had a devastating impact on our lives and each day gets worse to think our daughters, Bibaa and Nicole, are not with us and that they have been brutally killed by someone
Parents of Nicole and Bibaa
She "saw beauty in everything; she had a very calm and positive attitude towards most things in life", her parents said.
Her statement said the family "will spend the rest of our lives trying to come to terms" with the sisters' deaths.
Police said their have received over 100 calls about the womens' horrific killings.
Police have appealed to local residents or users of the park who may have seen the fairy lights as the sisters danced or anything suspicious.
A post-mortem gave the sisters' cause of death for both women as stab wounds.
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Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding continued: “Please do contact us with any information you may have which could assist, no matter how small.
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"Someone out there knows something.
"I would ask them to look into their conscience and question their protection of an individual who has robbed a family of two beloved women.”
