Man, 29, in court charged with murdering Zara as family pay moving tribute
THE heartbroken family of Zara Aleena paid a touching tribute to her yesterday as they called for an end to violence against women.
The 35-year-old law graduate was “pure of heart” and a “joy to us all,” her family said.
Her violent death was a “savage, sickening act,” they added.
Zara suffered fatal head injuries near her home in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of Sunday while returning from a night out.
Yesterday, a man appeared in court charged with her murder. Jordan McSweeney, 29, was also accused of attempted rape and robbery.
In their tribute, the family said: “Zara, a beloved human, child, niece, cousin, granddaughter, friend to all, was a joy to all of us.
“She was a carer for her mother and grandmother.
“Caring for others came naturally to her. Zara was friendly, she was everybody’s friend. She was pure of heart – a joy to all of us. She was our love in human form.”
Zara, who worked for the Crown Prosecution Service, had just passed her law degree and had a long-cherished ambition to be a solicitor.
The tribute said: “At the age of five she said she was going to be a lawyer.
“Shrieking with joy when she spotted the birds as a child, she would giggle and make us laugh.
“She was always the bigger person in any situation. She was authentic and refused to try and impress anyone but she impressed us. She was the rock of our family.
“Zara was stoic and held it all together and never complained. She glued our community together. ‘Nobody worked harder than Zara,’ is what we heard from all who knew her.
Her sense of justice and fairness led her to a life of giving and caring for others – supporting refugees fleeing violence, giving voice to those who had less power.
“She had that special habit of noticing others in need and always put their needs on her agenda. A carefree spirit, with the most caring heart.
“Zara was happy and at a point in her life she had worked hard for, she had completed her Legal Practice Course so she could practise as a solicitor. She recently started working for the Crown Prosecution Service, to complete a work placement to become a fully qualified solicitor.”
Friends said they were concerned about Zara walking home at night on her own. Her family said: “She walked everywhere. She put her party shoes in a bag and donned trainers. She walked. Zara believed that a woman should be able to walk home.
“Now her dreams of a family are shattered, her future brutally taken. Sadly, Zara is not the only one who has had her life taken at the hands of a stranger.Women should be safe on our streets. She was in the heart of her community, 10 minutes from home.
“These last few days have been shocking and unimaginable.”
Zara joins a roll call of women killed in London in recent years, including Bibaa Henry, 46, Nicole Smallman, 27, Sarah Everard, 33, and Sabina Nessa, 28. Her family said: “We must prevent and stop violence against women and girls.”
McSweeney, of Dagenham, east London, was remanded in custody by magistrates yesterday and will appear at the Old Bailey on July 27.