Zara Aleena Inquest Jury Criticises ‘Failure of Multiple State Agencies’

An inquest jury has said the “failure of multiple state agencies” contributed to the death of a law graduate who was murdered by a man who had been released from prison nine days earlier. Zara Aleena, 35, was sexually assaulted and beaten to death by Jordan McSweeney as she walked home in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of June 26, 2022. On Thursday afternoon, at the conclusion of the inquest at East London Coroner’s Court, the jury recorded a narrative verdict. The jury said, “Zara’s death was contributed to by the failure of multiple state agencies to act in accordance to policies and procedures—to share intelligence, accurately assess risk of serious harm, act and plan in response to the risk in a sufficient, timely and coordinated way.”...