Sexual predator, Jordan McSweeney who dragged Alena onto a driveway before brutally attacking and sexually assaulting her in nine minutes of horrific murder has refused to ‘relive’ the murder.
He said watching the CCTV footage will mean he is reliving the murder again.
Jordan was just released from prison only days before he attacked Alena who happened to be his fifth target – CCTV showed him preying four women before Ms Aleena was attacked.
It was gathered that Jordan had targeted four women before the vile killer met the victim who was returning home from meeting friends.
Minutes before Alena became his victim, Jordan had drunkenly harassed a female member of staff of a pub he has gone to drink before he was thrown out.
Eye witness told court that ‘he left the pub determined to find, to attack and to kill a woman’.
Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow KC recalled the incident;
‘On the night of June 25, 2022, he had left a pub in Ilford and had roamed the streets looking for a woman to attack and to sexually assault.
‘He followed a number of different women and given what happened to Zara Aleena, there can be no doubt that they were lucky to have escaped unharmed.
‘Tragically for Zara Aleena, of course, she was not so fortunate. The defendant saw, decided to follow her and was determined to assault her.
‘He approached her from behind, grabbed her around the neck and dragged her into a driveway. Despite only being yards from a public street and from residential properties, the defendant attacked Zara Aleena with a savagery that is almost impossible to believe.
‘She did all she could to fight him off, but she had no idea he was behind her, and she must have been terrified as the bigger and stronger Jordan McSweeney dragged her into the darkness and out of sight from any potential rescuer.
‘Jordan McSweeney stands and begins to stamp onto Zara Aleena’s body with a force that is almost unimaginable; indeed, if it were not for the indistinct CCTV footage, it would be hard to believe that anyone could treat another human being in such a violent and shocking manner.
‘In short, she had been stamped and strangled to death,’ Mr Glasgow said.
A post-mortem examination carried out revealed the victim, Aleena, had died of a traumatic brain injury, prolonged neck compression, and the blood loss.
Members of Zara’s family had to leave the court as CCTV footage of her death was played.
When found, Aleena was rushed to hospital, but she tragically died within hours as a result of multiple injuries.
Upon McSweeney’s arrest, he refused to answer questions in a police interview – yawning and telling officers they were boring him.
McSweeney has 28 previous 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.
Evidence showed the law graduate fought back against her brutal attacker, with his DNA found underneath her fingernails.
Jordan McSweeney was jailed for 38 years for the murder of Zara Aleena
