A teenager has been found guilty of brutally murdering two sisters in a London park.

Danyal Hussein, 19, stabbed Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in Fryent Country Park in Wembley last June, having made a "diabolical" pact with a demon.

In a “campaign of vengeance” Hussein pledged to kill six women every six months to win the Mega Millions Super Jackpot of £321 million and carry on killing women as long as he was able, jurors at the Old Bailey heard.

But his killing spree was halted because he cut himself during the frenzied attack on the Ms Henry and Ms Smallman, enabling police to track him through DNA.

At the time of their deaths the sisters - whose parents Chris and Wilhelmina Smallman are from Ramsgate - had been celebrating Ms Henry's 46th birthday together.

Haunting photos taken at the end of the night showed them beaming with shared joy and delight, and dancing in the darkness with fairy lights.

The pictures captured the sisters’ life of friendship and love, at the moment their lives were about to be needlessly ended by Danyal Hussein - a complete stranger.

At the time, in June last year, the nation had battled through the first Covid-19 lockdown and people were beginning to tentatively emerge to meet friends and family in small groups outside.

The sisters had appeared bursting with excitement as they prepared for a party in Fryent Country Park to celebrate Ms Henry’s birthday.

Ms Smallman danced a jig and happily chatted with strangers at the checkout of a Co-op store where they bought drinks.

More CCTV showed them walking side-by-side into the park loaded up with blankets, cushions and picnic items.

The positive attitude to life so keenly embraced by the sisters was reflected in words on one of the cushions, which was later found in a refuse centre stained with blood.

It read: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass – it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Despite their difference in age - Ms Smallman was 27 and Ms Henry 46 - their closeness as siblings was clear in the evidence heard in Hussein’s trial.

Ms Henry was a respected social worker, she loved people and making a difference in the lives of others.

Both sisters, who once shared a flat, were popular and had a wide circle of friends.

They loved music, dancing and going to music festivals together.

Ms Smallman, who worked in hospitality, had a passion for arts, and in particular photography.

She had lived with her 35-year-old boyfriend Adam Stone, a video editor, at his parents’ house before recently moving into a shared flat.

Mr Stone had given her a pet bearded dragon which they both doted on.

He did not attend Ms Henry’s birthday party but was in contact with his girlfriend by text message throughout the night and gave her money for a taxi to ensure she got home safely.

In a final text message, Ms Smallman told him she was dancing – which was borne out by 150 selfies taken by mobile phone with a clicker.

In the final picture, the sisters’ attention appeared to be distracted by something lurking in the gloom to the left at 1.13am.

Police believe that was the moment teenage killer Hussein launched his savage attack on the two petite women.

Ms Henry would have been taken by surprise and was stabbed eight times before collapsing.

Ms Smallman bravely fought back, sustaining defensive injuries as she was repeatedly stabbed.

“If any good comes out of this at least another four women will not meet a similar end..."

Hussein then dragged them into bushes, where they lay top to toe, tragically entwined as closely in death as they were in life.

A jury found Hussein guilty on Tuesday of two counts of murder and possession of a knife with intent after a jury deliberated for around eight hours.

He stood facing the jury and crossed his arms and shook his head as the verdicts were delivered in front of the victims’ sobbing parents.

In a victim impact statement read to court, the sisters’ mother Mina Smallman said: “No-one expects their children to die before them but to have two of your three children murdered overnight is just incomprehensible.”

She said: “If any good comes out of this at least another four women will not meet a similar end in a so-called pact with a so-called demon.”

Mrs Justice Whipple thanked jurors and adjourned sentencing until September 22.

Senior investigating officer in the case, Det Ch Insp Simon Harding, from the Met Police's Specialist Crime Command described the murders as "one of the most shocking and chilling cases I have ever dealt with".

"I know the investigation will stay with all of those involved for many years to come," he said.

"Hussein went out that night with the intention of killing in order to satisfy his bizarre fantasies under the deluded belief he would be rewarded with financial prosperity. His wicked acts have cut short the lives of two completely innocent women - who, even more devastatingly, were exceptionally close sisters simply out celebrating a birthday – and left family, friends and colleagues bereft, still struggling to come to terms with such a random and senseless attack.

“Bibaa and Nicole were very popular, had lots of friends and lived life to the full," he continued.

"Their bond and shared pleasure in being in each other’s company was clear to see from the heart-breaking images and footage which captured them together that night.

"It is still beyond my comprehension what impact their murders will have had on their family and friends and my thoughts are first and foremost today with them."

The sisters’ mother is The Venerable Mina Smallman from Ramsgate, who was the Church of England’s first female archdeacon of black and minority ethnic descent, and retired in 2016.

Mrs Smallman, from Ramsgate, along with the sisters’ fathers Chris Smallman and Herman Henry, listened to details of their deaths during the trial at the Old Bailey.

Det Ch Insp Harding praised the family's “dignity” throughout the harrowing case.

"No normal person will be able to comprehend Hussein’s motivation but I do hope that his conviction can bring the families at least some sense of justice," he added.

“Conversely, Hussein has presented as an arrogant and egotistical character who from the outset has denied any culpability, compounding his actions by forcing the family to endure the additional trauma of a trial.

"He was incredibly disrespectful to witnesses and the family whilst he acted like a petulant child in the dock.

"Despite his planning prior to the incident, ironically it was in part his mistakes that ultimately led to his downfall, by leaving the weapon and a bloodied glove at the scene to be found and linked directly to him. Perhaps he believed the oath he signed would somehow protect him from retribution.

"Even though he was seen on CCTV going into his house, walking down a street and using his bank card, he maintained that it simply was not him. Even though his DNA was matched to the blood and DNA all over the crime scene, he again denied it was his DNA.

"I strongly believe that had he not been injured so badly that day and then apprehended he would have gone on to carry out further murders to fulfil his twisted pact, and so I am grateful the jury were able to see through his preposterous claim that he wasn’t responsible despite all the overwhelming evidence against him.

“This case presented a number of challenges including a vast and complex crime scene and lack of witnesses.

"And despite Hussein leaving a large amount of his blood at the scene, with no match on the DNA database we found ourselves in a frustrating position.

"Determined to find the person responsible as a matter of urgency, hundreds of officers were deployed to the investigation, from forensic officers gathering vital evidence, search and dive teams carrying out fingertip searches to local officers on reassurance patrols.

"The additional familial work carried out on the DNA sample led us to Hussein.

"My officers then carried out meticulous CCTV enquiries which provided a clear picture of his movements both that night and in the days leading up to the incident, as well as a hospital visit the following day.

"It is this work which I believe created a watertight case against Hussein. I would also like to acknowledge the overwhelming support of the public, who provided information, statements and footage which proved crucial to our investigation.”

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet