Rajeev Thacker of Garden Court Chambers represented the family of the deceased, instructed by Birnberg Peirce.
The inquest into the death of Zara Aleena, which began on 3 June 2024, concluded on 26 June 2024 at East London Coroner’s Court.
On 26 June 2022, 35 -year-old Zara was killed by Jordan McSweeney as she walked home in Ilford, East London. Jordan McSweeney had been released from prison on licence from a prison sentence for criminal damage, racially aggravated harassment and unauthorised possession of a knife nine days before Zara's murder. The probation service waited five days before initiating his recall to prison after he missed two probation appointments.
A probation report had found McSweeney was not categorised as a high-risk offender, despite his previous convictions.
The inquest jury concluded that failures across multiple agencies had contributed to her death.
See press coverage: BBC News, The Guardian, Evening Standard.
