Jordan McSweeney, who appeared in the Thames Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, was charged with attempted theft from the “beloved” 35-year-old from her mobile phone, her keys and bag and attempted rape. McSweeney, from Dagenham, east London, spoke to confirm his name before his charges were read out and his case transferred to Crown Court. Ms Aleena was found to be seriously injured in the early hours of Sunday morning by members of the public on Cranbrook Street in east London. Chief Stuart Bell said there was no evidence that weapons were used in the attack, which left Ms Aleena with significant head injuries. In a touching tribute, Ms Aleena’s family said she enjoyed walking everywhere and called for more to be done to prevent violence against women and girls. “Zara thought a woman should be able to walk home,” they said. In a statement on Tuesday, they said that “her tragic, brutal, inhuman death … has no place in this society.” Zara Aleena was attacked while returning home in the early hours of Sunday (PA) “She was attacked at 2:17 p.m. on Sunday 26 June as he was returning home. It was ten minutes away from home. “ The family held a vigil for Ms. Aleena on Saturday, July 2 at 1:30 p.m. In her memory, they will start the walk at 14:17 and will follow her journey home. In a further tribute, published by the Met Police, Ms. Aleena’s family described her as “a loved one, a child, a niece, a cousin, a granddaughter, a friend to all.” The scene near Cranbrook Road, in east London, where Zara Aleena was found to be suffering from fatal injuries (PA) “Caring for others came so naturally to her,” they said. “It was fine for all of us, her shiny eyes and curly, black hair. Her glorious laughter and her sweet, smiling voice. “Her tiny frame embodied a passionate spirit and indomitable energy,” they added. They described the aspiring lawyer as a hard worker: “No one worked harder than Zara” is what we heard from everyone who knew her. The last message Zara sent to her friend Lisa Hodgson before her death (Facebook) “Zara was happy and at one point in her life for which she had worked hard, she had completed her legal practice course to be able to practice her profession as a lawyer. “She has just recently started working for the Crown Prosecution Service, to complete her two-year work in order to become a fully trained lawyer. It was savage: not only did it survive, but it prospered. “ They explained that Ms. Aleena liked to walk everywhere. “She put her parties in a bag and wore her gymnasts,” they said. “She walked. Zara believed that a woman should be able to walk home. Now her family dreams have been shattered, her future has been brutally ruined.” Flower tributes left on stage at Cranbrook Road in Ilford, East London (PA) In her tribute, the family stressed that Ms. Aleena “is not the only woman who lost her life like this.” “In this moment of tragedy, we express our deepest sympathy and love to the families of Bibaa Henry. Nicole Smallman; Sarah Everard; Sabina Nessa; Ashling Murphy and many more women. “We must PREVENT and STOP violence against women and girls,” they wrote. In another moving tribute on Monday, Ms. Aleena’s best friend, Lisa Hodgson, shared the last text he sent her. On Friday, Ms. Aleena texted Ms. Hodgson to tell her, “I miss your beautiful face this xx weekend. I look forward to seeing you next xxx weekend.” Lisa Hodgson said she was going to meet Ms Aleena over the weekend she was murdered in Ilford, but the couple had rescheduled their plans for a later date. “I am completely cracked,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “I’m shocked. I’m angry. I’m sick to my stomach.”
