A man has appeared in court accused of murdering aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena as she walked home from a night out with friends.
Jordan McSweeney, 29, is accused of a stranger attack on Ms Aleena in the early hours of Sunday morning, when she was returning to her home in Ilford.
It is said he attempted to rape Ms Aleena in the attack on her in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, as well as allegedly robbing her of her mobile phone, keys and handbag.
McSweeney, from Dagenham, east London, appeared at Thames magistrates court on Wednesday to face the charges for the first time.
Wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit, he was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on July 1.
Police were called out at 2.44am to reports of an attack on 35-year-old Ms Aleena, who was rushed to hospital but died later the same morning.
Some of Ms Aleena’s friends and relatives were at court for today’s hearing. In a tribute released on Wednesday, her family described Ms Aleena as “a beloved human, child, niece, cousin, granddaughter, friend to all, she was a joy to all of us.
“She was a carer for her mother, and her grandmother. Caring for others came so naturally to her. Zara was friendly, she was everybody’s friend. She was everybody’s daughter, everybody’s niece, everybody’s sister, everybody’s cousin. She was pure of heart,” they added.
Flowers and candles were left on Cranbrook Road on Tuesday with friends and family writing messages.
“I love you to the moon and back,” one said. Another tribute said: “Best friend I could ever have asked for .. xxxx
“I am going to miss everything about you, your smile, the way you bite your bottom lip when you were thinking, our nights out… eating burgers on a step, laughing about anything and everything.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Aleena studied law at the University of Westminster and had been working at the Royal Courts of Justice as an administrative officer since May.
Her family said she recently completed a Legal Practice Course to be able to practise as a solicitor, and had recently started working for the Crown Prosecution Service as part of her training.
