Zara Aleena's killer given 38 years in prison

A man has been sentenced to 38 years behind bars for murdering law graduate Zara Aleena in Ilford within days of him being released from prison.

Jordan McSweeney targeted the 35-year-old as she walked home from a night out early on Sunday, June 26, having previously appeared to follow two other women.

Last month, 29-year-old Jordan McSweeney from Dagenham, Essex, pleaded guilty to her murder and sexual assault, today at the Old Bailey he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years for the “brutal sexually motivated” murder of law graduate Zara Aleena.

McSweeney refused to come to court so was sentenced in his absence.

In her sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: “The defendant had the advantage of strength and surprise. In everything else, she was better than him.”

Ms Aleena was talented and spirited, the judge added: “She was simply a happy, healthy woman living her life in what most Londoners think of as the best city in the world.”

She said McSweeney’s decision not to come to court to face his sentence showed he had “no spine whatsoever”.

During the court case, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow KC had said Ms Aleena “stood no chance” when she was targeted by McSweeney in Cranbrooke Road, Ilford, east London.

Ms Aleena was dragged into a driveway, brutally kicked, stamped on and sexually assaulted, then left for dead.

Emergency services were called at 2.44am after she was found with severe head injuries and struggling to breathe.

Ms Aleena was taken to hospital where she died later that morning from multiple injuries.

Police officers gathered CCTV footage, witness statements, DNA and even a bloody fingerprint left by the attacker at the scene.

Video footage from the area showed McSweeney appearing to target two other women before he followed Ms Aleena.

After the killing, other CCTV captured him returning to a caravan on a fairground, where police recovered Ms Aleena’s bloodstained clothes.

After being arrested, McSweeney refused to answer questions in a police interview.

The murderer was a 'prolific offender'

The court was told McSweeney was a prolific offender and had been released from prison on licence on June 17 – just days before the murder.

He had been in prison for criminal damage, racially aggravated harassment and unauthorised possession of a knife in prison.

In all, he has 28 previous convictions for 69 separate offences including burglary, theft of a vehicle, criminal damage, assaulting police officers and assaulting members of the public while on bail.

Ms Aleena had begun working at the Royal Courts of Justice five weeks before her death and was “the happiest she had ever been”, her family said.

Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.