A British teenager who brutally killed two sisters after he made a chilling 'pact with a demon' was given two concurrent 35-year sentences on October 28.
Danyal Hussein, 19, fatally stabbed and killed two sisters- Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in London in June 2020 as part of a "blood contract with a demon" to win the lottery. He took their lives as they celebrated a birthday in Fryent Country Park in North London. Smallman suffered 40 stab wounds and incisions, whereas Henry was stabbed 8 times. However, Hussein's DNA and CCTV footage led police to him a month later.
The verdict comes over a year after the death of the sisters. The judge noted, "This was a calculated and deliberate course of conduct, planned and carried out with precision," in her verdict. Justice Whipple told the court, "You had found these two women, you were a stranger to them, you surprised them, you terrified them and you killed them." Hussein would have to serve a minimum of 35 years before being eligible for release.
Hussein's Plan was to Sacrifice Women in Exchange of Wealth and Power
Hussein has never explained his motive, but police found a bizarre hand-written "contract" in his home. The teenager embarked on a "campaign of vengeance" against random women. In the letter, police found, Hussein promised the demon Lucifuge Rofocale six sacrifices every six months in exchange for winning the lottery. Hussein signed his name in his own blood. He thought he would win a Mega Millions Super Jackpot lottery prize of £321m.
Hussein meticulously planned the murders of the two sisters by ordering various items from Amazon, including a balaclava and two folding shovels. He tried to conceal evidence by throwing the sisters' phones into a pond in the park, reported the Independent. He also dragged the bodies away and posed them in an embrace to "defile" them in death. He was found guilty in July 2021 and will now spend at least 35 years behind bars. Some reports also suggested that Hussein has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
The Metropolitan Police Force Criticized for its Failings
Hussein's case was highly discussed in the UK even before his sentencing. Metropolitan police force was slammed for not prioritizing the case due to its institutional attitudes towards women and black people. For the last several days, activists suggested that the police reacted less urgently because the sisters were black.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded its investigation over the response to the initial missing persons reports.
On Monday, the police watchdog found the level of service provided by the Met over the weekend when the sisters went missing was "below the standard that it should have been".
