Zara Aleena, a law graduate who was brutally kicked and stamped on before being left for dead, was murdered by a sexual predator. Jordan McSweeney had just been released from prison and had preyed on several women before preying on the 35-year-old as she walked home from a night out early on Sunday, June 26. McSweeney, 29, of Dagenham, Essex, pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault at a hearing on Friday. McSweeney, according to Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow KC, launched a “attack on a lone female late at night making her way home, a woman who stood no chance. The defendant dragged Ms Aleena into a driveway in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, east London, where he assaulted her. According to the prosecution, he sexually assaulted the law graduate and stole her phone, keys, and handbag. At 2.44 a.m., emergency services were called after she was discovered with severe head injuries, partially naked, and struggling to breathe. Ms Aleena was taken to the hospital, where she died the following morning. A post-mortem examination revealed that she had sustained multiple serious injuries. Officers gathered CCTV footage, witness statements, DNA evidence, and fingerprints. Other CCTV footage captured him returning to his caravan in Dagenham after the killing, where police recovered Ms Aleena’s bloodstained clothes. More bloodstains with the defendant’s fingerprint were discovered on a wall on Cranbrook Road. McSweeney refused to answer questions after his arrest but told officers he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He was also accused of threatening police officers while in custody. He was charged with murder and remanded into custody after a judge determined he posed a “substantial risk” to the public, particularly lone women. McSweeney was a prolific offender who had been released from prison on licence just days before the murder, according to a previous hearing. He had previously served time in prison for criminal damage, racially aggravated harassment, and unauthorised possession of a knife. He has 28 convictions for 69 different crimes, including burglary, vehicle theft, criminal damage, assaulting police officers, and assaulting members of the public while on bail. Ms Aleena’s family described her as self-sufficient, generous, and a joy. Her aunt Farah Naz stated that her niece was aware of the dangers for women following the murders of Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, Sarah Everard, and Sabina Nessa. But she had felt “safe” walking around the neighbourhood where she was well known. Zara was not a woman who was unaware that there were dangers in the world,” Ms Naz said. She had no idea what would happen to her if what happened to those women happened to her. She had no idea she was going to be on this list because she had taken those precautions in her mind.” Ms Aleena had started working at the Royal Courts of Justice five weeks before her death and was “happier than she had ever been,” according to her family.
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