Predator wanted by police when he killed Zara
Thug had 28 prior convictions
SEXUAL predator Jordan McSweeney was wanted by police when he murdered Zara Aleena, we can reveal.
He didn’t show a shred of humanity or express any sorrow
CHIEF PROSECUTOR OLCAY SAPANOGLU
McSweeney, 29, pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder and sexual assault of the law graduate – who was kicked and stamped on and left for dead.
On June 24, just two days before she was killed, McSweeney was the subject of a recall to prison.
He had been released on licence on June 17 and missed his first probation appointment.
But he was not found and two days later he launched his attack on 35-year-old Zara.
A Serious Further Offence Review has now been launched.
McSweeney has 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.
McSweeney had also targeted more than one woman before he preyed on Zara as she walked home from a night out on June 26.
During yesterday’s brief hearing at the Old Bailey, McSweeney stared at the floor of the dock as he entered his guilty pleas in front of Zara’s family.
The court heard he had dragged Zara into a driveway in Ilford, East London, where he subjected her to a ferocious assault before making off with her phone, keys and handbag.
Emergency services were called at 2.44am after Zara was found with severe head injuries, partially naked and struggling to breathe.
She was taken to hospital but died later that morning.
Video footage from the area showed McSweeney appearing to target other women before he followed Zara.
After the killing, other CCTV footage captured him returning to his caravan in Dagenham, where police recovered Zara’s bloodied clothes.
More bloodstains were found at the murder scene, with his fingerprint identified on them.
After his arrest, McSweeney refused to answer questions but told officers he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
He was also said to have threatened police officers.
Zara’s family described her as independent, big-hearted and a joy. Her aunt Farah Naz said her niece had been conscious of the dangers for women after the murders of Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa.
Bibaa, 46, and Nicole, 27, were stabbed to death by Danyal Hussein in a park in Wembley, North West London, in 2020.
Sarah, 33, was raped and killed by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens as she walked home from a friend’s house in South London in March last year.
And just months later, primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, 28, was murdered by Koci Selamaj as she walked through a park in Kidbrooke, South East London.
But Ms Naz said Zara felt “safe” in the community where she was well known. She said: “Zara was not a woman who was unaware there were dangers in the world.
“She did not imagine what happened to those women would happen to her. In her mind she took those precautions.”
Zara had recently started work at London’s Royal Courts of Justice and was “the happiest she had ever been”, her family said.
Judge Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb adjourned McSweeney’s sentencing until December 14.
After the hearing, Senior Crown Prosecutor Olcay Sapanoglu said: “It was an horrific attack on a woman walking home after a night out with a friend.
“It appears clear that McSweeney was intent that night on finding a woman to attack.
“McSweeney did not display a shred of humanity towards Zara.
“At no stage did he express any sorrow for his actions.”