The family of a 35-year-old woman killed while walking home from a night out in London have said all women “should be safe on our streets”.
Relatives of Zara Aleena said she was “not the only woman” to have had her life violently taken on the capital’s streets and demanded action to stop violence against women and girls.
“We all need to be talking about what happened to our Zara, we all need to be talking about this tragedy,” said a statement.
“In the moment of this tragedy, we extend our deepest sympathy and love to the families of Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Ashling Murphy and many more women.
“Our loss is irreparable and the void feels insurmountable but the warmth and kindness that our community has shown is testament to the power of Zara’s spirit. Her life has been stolen from us. She has been stolen from us all.”
Ms Aleena was attacked as she walked home from a night out along Cranbrook Road in Ilford, towards Gants Hill station, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Jordan McSweeney, of no fixed address, has been charged with murder, attempted rape and robbery. He appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
The killing is the latest in a series of alleged stranger attacks in London that have sparked renewed concerns over women’s safety.
“We all know women should be safe on our streets,” Ms Aleena’s family said. “She was in the heart of her community, 10 minutes from home … she walked everywhere. She put her party shoes in a bag and donned her trainers. She walked. Zara believed that a woman should be able to walk home.”
The Metropolitan Police was criticised for a statement released after the killing, which said: “I understand that for women, particularly locally, this is an incredibly distressing incident, and I urge you to be alert but not alarmed.”
Several women living in the Ilford area told The Independent they were right to be alarmed.
Cristina Martinescu, a 41-year-old student, said: “I feel scared, but what can I do? I have to go out. I can’t lock myself in my house. I am alarmed – I can’t not be. Their [police] advice is not very encouraging for me.”
Another local woman added: “It seems like they don’t feel there is anything more that they can do. By saying ‘be alert, not alarmed’ they’re almost dismissing it.”
Vigils are being planned for Ms Aleena, including one to take place near the scene of her death in Ilford on Saturday.
Women will walk on a “journey home”, a poster said, adding: “We want to bring her back where she belonged safely, surrounded by people who knew, loved, cherished and supported her.”
It comes as the Metropolitan Police is placed in special measures by the national policing watchdog, following a series of scandals that have undermined public trust.
A letter sent by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to the acting commissioner, Sir Stephen House, made direct mention of the murder of Ms Everard, as well as an inquiry that accused Scotland Yard of institutional corruption and scandals over racially discriminatory stop and search operations.
The Reclaim These Streets group, which formed in response to the murder of Ms Everard by serving police officer Wayne Couzens last year, said the move should not have taken so long.
“To build trust with women in the capital, the special measures must involve full transparency and genuinely independent oversight, including representatives from outside of policing,” the group said.
“The brutal killing of Ms Aleena just underlines how important it is to get this right. Women must not be fobbed off with another smokescreen which treats women’s safety like a PR exercise.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said women living in London would be understandably “feeling distressed and fearful after this awful attack and the death of another woman at the hands of a man”.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, the officer responsible for policing the area where Ms Aleena was killed, said tackling violence against women and girls was an “absolute priority”.
“Every day our officers are working with partners across the capital to improve safety in our public spaces,” he added.
“Women should not have to change their behaviour and should be able to go about their business, feeling safe, any time of day or night. It’s our job to ensure that happens – but officers cannot be in all places at all times.
“I would urge our community, especially women, to report any suspicious or unwanted behaviour and seek help if you feel threatened.”
Ms Aleena was a law graduate who had recently started working as an administrative officer at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
The University of Westminster said she graduated with a law degree with honours in 2011, then obtained a postgraduate diploma in legal practice last year.
“She is remembered clearly and fondly by all who taught her,” a statement said. “She was a warm, gentle and open young woman, popular with both staff and fellow students. She would often go out of her way to help others.”
Ms Aleena’s relatives said she had resolved on becoming a lawyer at the age of five, and was “radiating and blossoming” at the point her life was cruelly taken.
“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,” the family added.
“Zara was happy and at a point in her life that she had worked hard for, she had completed her Legal Practice Course so that she could practise as a solicitor.
“She only recently started working for the Crown Prosecution Service, to complete her two-year work placement in order to become a fully qualified solicitor. She was fierce: she didn’t just survive, she thrived.”
