“This team moved heaven and earth to ensure we felt that we were being supported. This is the kind of police force that I believe in and we need to work towards so we have justice and families are treated with respect.

“Today, we remember our girls as the wonderful, strong women they were, and we hope that some good will come out of this horrible story.”

Police revealed after Hussein’s conviction that he had been sent to a de-radialisation program at the age of 15 when his school became concerned he was vulnerable to violent extremism.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, the senior investigating officer, said Hussein was “a very, very dangerous individual”.

“I firmly believe he would have carried out his contract,” Harding said. “He would have carried on killing women, until he had killed the first six, if he had not won the lottery by that stage – every six months is what he said.