Zara Aleena: Sexual predator Jordan McSweeney pleads guilty to murdering law graduate as she walked home
A sexual predator has pleaded guilty to murdering law graduate Zara Aleena just days after being released from prison.
Jordan McSweeney appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday where he admitted murdering Ms Aleena, who was brutally kicked and stamped on, then left for dead, in the early hours of 26 June this year.
The 29-year-old defendant, who had targeted more than one woman before he preyed on Ms Aleena, also pleaded guilty to sexual assault.
Ms Aleena was walking home in Ilford, east London, after spending the evening with friends when she was attacked by McSweeney.
Prosecutors said the 35-year-old woman “stood no chance” as the killer dragged her into a driveway before kicking and stamping on her.
McSweeney sexually assaulted the law graduate and made off with her mobile phone, keys and handbag, the court heard.
Emergency services were called at 2.44am after Ms Aleena was found with severe head injuries, partially naked and struggling to breathe on Cranbrook Road in Ilford.
Paramedics took the victim to the Royal London Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
A post-mortem examination found she had suffered multiple serious injuries.
Ms Aleena was only minutes from home when she was murdered, in what police described as an “opportunist stranger attack”.
A vigil was held for Zara Aleena in Ilford following her death
Blood-stained clothes
CCTV from the night of the killing showed McSweeney following several women before fixating on Ms Aleena.
He was also captured on CCTV returning to his caravan in Dagenham, Essex, after the killing, where police recovered Ms Aleena’s bloodstained clothes.
More bloodstains were found on a wall in Cranbrook Road with the defendant’s fingerprint identified on them.
McSweeney had been released from prison on licence just nine days before the murder.
The court heard he was a prolific offender who had previously been jailed for criminal damage, racially aggravated harassment and unauthorised possession of a knife in prison.
He had 28 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.
Flowers left after a vigil for Zara Aleena
‘Substantial risk’ to public
After his arrest following Ms Aleena’s death, McSweeney refused to answer questions but told officers he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
While in custody, he was also said to have threatened police officers.
Having been charged with murder, he was remanded into custody after a judge found he was a “substantial risk” to the public, especially lone women.
Ms Aleena was an aspiring lawyer and had just started a new job at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Her family described her as a “carefree spirit, with the most caring heart” in a tribute following her death.
“She walked everywhere,” the family said. “She put her party shoes in a bag and donned her trainers.
“Zara believed that a woman should be able to walk home.”
Ms Aleena had ‘the most caring heart’, her family said. Pic: Met Police
Ms Aleena’s murder led to more calls to end violence against women and girls.
Speaking outside court, Detective Chief Inspector David Whellams said Ms Aleena “had every right to feel safe” but “instead she was a victim of shocking violence”.
“We are working tirelessly alongside communities and our partners to make sure women can feel safer, and crucially safer in our city,” the senior Metropolitan Police officer said.
He described McSweeney – who will be sentenced on 14 December – as a “very dangerous individual”.
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‘She had every right to feel safe’, Met Police says
After the hearing, senior Crown prosecutor Olcay Sapanoglu said it was “clear that McSweeney was intent that night on finding a woman to attack”.
“He sexually assaulted her, then brutally stamped on her several times before appearing to walk away,” the prosecutor said.
“Moments later he returned, only to stamp on her several times more and then, finally, leaving her for dead.
“McSweeney did not display a shred of humanity towards Zara.
“Indeed, having completed his initial assault, he returned to inflict further injuries, leading to her death. At no stage during his police interviews did he express any sorrow for his actions.”
An international manhunt is under way for the husband of a murdered woman, whose body was found in the boot of a car.
The body of Harshita Brella was found in east London on Thursday, tens of miles away from her home in Corby.
On Sunday, Northamptonshire Police said they were looking for Pankaj Lamba – who they believe has left the country.
Sky News understands she had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.
“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said chief inspector Paul Cash.
“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car.”
“Fast track” enquires were made after the force was contacted on Wednesday by someone concerned about Ms Brella’s welfare. After she failed to answer the door at her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, a missing person investigation was launched.
Her body was found inside the boot of a vehicle in Brisbane Road in the Ilford in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A post mortem – conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday – established she had been murdered.
Harshita Brella, 24, from Corby. Her body was found in a car in east London. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
More than 60 detectives are working on the case, with lines of enquiry including going house to house and property searches, as well as looking at CCTV and ANPR.
“We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita,” said chief inspector Cash.
“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”
Pankaj Lamba. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
Force referred to police watchdog
On Saturday, Northamptonshire Police said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact between the force and the victim.
Northamptonshire Police previously said officers had been conducting investigations at three locations: Skegness Walk and Sturton Walk in Corby and Brisbane Road, Ilford, where Ms Brella’s body was found.
East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) and Northamptonshire Police said they were working “around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place”.
State-of-the-art technology has been used to create a voice for King Richard III – giving him a Yorkshire accent.
A digital avatar of the medieval king’s head went on display in front of excited history fans at York Theatre Royal.
Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32.
His remains were found in a car park in Leicester in 2012 by historian Philippa Langley.
Speaking about the recreation, she said: “We’ve got leading experts in their fields who have been working on this for 10 years and so everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced, so you are seeing the most accurate portrayal of Richard III”.
A team based at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created the avatar based on the reconstruction of Richard III’s head with the help of a craniofacial expert.
His voice has been created by Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist in 15th-century pronunciation. He admitted that it’s impossible to know exactly how he spoke, but this is as close as they will get.
The king was born in Northampton but spent a lot of his life in Yorkshire. His parents were also from the north of England.
Vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm spent a decade researching how the monarch would have sounded. She worked with the actor Thomas Dennis who was chosen as his body and face were such a a good physical match.
Speaking to Sky News, she said people will be shocked at how different he sounded compared with traditional portrayals of the king on stage and screen.
The coach and actor also examined the king’s letters and diary so that “as you pronounced a word that’s how you would write it”.
Read more from Sky News:
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The voice shows the change in pronunciation over the centuries – from regional variations to the Queen’s English.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
History fans at the unveiling were delighted with the accent, with one telling Sky News: “Northerners are known to be happy, positive, all those lovely qualities.”
Born in Northampton but a northerner through and through, technology has brought the king’s speech back to life
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