Zara Aleena's murder 'could have been avoided', says probation watchdog

The murder of Zara Aleena as she walked home from a night out in east London “could have been avoided”, the chief inspector of probation said.

Martin Jones added better communication between prison and probation services should have triggered killer Jordan McSweeney as a “high risk” individual.

Failures “across multiple agencies” contributed to the death of 35-year-old Ms Aleena, an inquest jury found on Wednesday.

HM Chief Inspector of Probation Mr Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is all about risk assessment.

“If this person had been correctly assessed as ‘high risk’, that would have set off a set of triggers in relation to how he was managed, and when he was released from prison there would have been better planning.

“And when he was not complying in the community, his recall would have been much quicker if he had been assessed as high risk to the public.”

Farah Naz, Ms Aleena’s aunt, said her family remain “devastated by our enormous loss”, adding: “Zara should be alive today.

“Her brutal murder could and should have been prevented. It is clear from the evidence we have heard that there are significant issues of under-resourcing across the system.”

McSweeney killed the 35-year-old law graduate as she walked home from a night out in Ilford in the early hours of June 26, 2022, nine days after he was released from prison.

He was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 38 years at the Old Bailey in December 2022 after admitting Ms Aleena’s murder and sexual assault.

In November 2023, he won a Court of Appeal bid to reduce the minimum term of his life sentence.