A teenager has denied murdering two sisters who were stabbed to death in a north-west London park last summer.

The bodies of Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were discovered in Fryent Park in Wembley on June 7. 

Detectives believe the sisters were killed after meeting friends at the park on June 5 to celebrate Henry’s birthday.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death for both women as stab wounds.

Danyal Hussein, 19, of Guy Barnett Grove in south-east London, was arrested in July and charged with the murder of the two women, plus the possession of an offensive weapon.

On Thursday, he appeared at the Old Bailey where he pleaded not guilty to murdering the pair as well as to possession of an offensive weapon.

He was remanded in custody to appear for trial from June 7. 

Two serving Met Police officers were also detained at the time on suspicion of misconduct in public office over “deeply disturbing” allegations they took “non-official and inappropriate photographs” of Smallman and Henry at the crime scene and subsequently shared them. 

The officers, who have not been named, were released under investigation and suspended from duty. The case was referred to the police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) by the Met.

Six other officers were later investigated for alleged misconduct in connection to the photographs, which were reportedly shared in a private WhatsApp group.