Women in Britain are “still not safe”, the aunt of Zara Aleena said as mourners gathered in east London to mark three years since the law graduate’s “preventable” murder.
The 35-year-old was walking home from a night out when she was stalked, assaulted and killed by a sexual predator on 26 June 2022 in Ilford, east London – just minutes from her front door.
The outrage and protests which followed her death, along with her inquest last year, have thrown a harsh spotlight on the failings of institutions to protect women, according to Ms Aleena’s aunt Farah Naz.
Ms Aleena’s murderer Jordan McSweeney, a known violent offender, had been released from prison nine days before her brutal killing. On Sunday, Ms Naz led a vigil to honour her beloved niece who “embodied fairness and justice” and used tell her “I am going to put things right” in the world.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who was Ms Aleena’s local MP, and justice minister Alex Davies-Jones both urged the well-wishers to hold the Government accountable on its promises to try and tackle violence against women, including a target to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.
Ms Naz told the PA news agency her niece “has become a symbol of what needs to be different, and also of what’s possible” adding that for the family “her legacy isn’t just about systems, it’s about values: fairness, courage, care for others.”
The vigil included a moment of reflection and a walk from the spot where Ms Aleena was murdered to her home.
Ms Naz said: “Progress has been made but women are still not safe.
“We hope the vigil offered a space for quiet reflection and also for shared resolve. It’s a moment to remember Zara, and also to recognise the depth of the injustice.
“We stand together against the violence and the systems that still enable it. We walk Zara home, and we say: ‘no more’.”
The probation system has faced scrutiny and reform, emergency call handling has improved and offender risk tools are being used more effectively since Ms Aleena’s murder, the vigil organisers said.
They said survivors are speaking out and being heard but a misogynistic culture still underpins institutions and streets, prevention remains secondary to response and specialist services, especially those led by and for black and minority women, remain underfunded.
Women’s safety is still vulnerable to political cycles, plus probation and prison services remain under-resourced and overstretched which may hamper efforts to effectively manage high-risk individuals, they added.
Ms Naz said: “Zara’s legacy is already taking shape through policy shifts, public conversation, and the determination of so many people working for change.”
Ms Naz said “some things have changed but not enough,” adding: “The inquest exposed the failures clearly. There’s been progress, but real safety for women and girls will take more than policy. It needs a shift in culture, in how institutions work, how women are treated, and how accountability is held.
“We’re not there yet – that’s why we keep going.”
The jury at Ms Aleena’s inquest last year found: “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, (and) act and plan in response to the risk in a sufficient, timely and coordinated way”.
Evidence to the inquest prompted the coroner Nadia Persaud to issue a prevention of future deaths report warning there is a risk similar killings could occur unless action is taken.
She instructed the Probation Service and Metropolitan Police to improve their services.
Low staffing levels, poor understanding around risk assessment and a “lack of professional curiosity” within the Probation Service were all listed as matters of concern, as was a lack of “rigour, detail and independence” of a Met investigation into the case, Ms Persaud concluded.
Mr Streeting told the crowd: “We have come together to celebrate and recognise a life that was tragically and horrifically cut short and to recognise the damage it has inflicted on our whole community.
“Women and girls who were already afraid to walk our streets are now even more afraid looking at the consequences of what happens when, on a normal night out and on your way home, something so horrific can happen in our neighbourhood.”
Ms Naz was also joined by the relatives of other women who have been murdered – primary school teacher Sabina Nessa and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa.
They too “campaign for change and stand in remembrance, protest and solidarity,” she said.
All the bereaved relatives hope to meet the Prime Minster next month about their campaign for a new law to force offenders to attend their sentencing hearings.
Ms Davies-Jones said: “Today, we stand with Zara’s family. With her friends. With Farah Naz, who has carried Zara’s legacy with extraordinary strength and purpose.
“We stand with the families of Sabina Nessa and Jan Mustafa, who know this pain too deeply. Your grief has become a rallying cry. Your courage has driven real change.”
She added: “We’ve set an ambitious target: to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade. We owe it to every woman and girl to see that through. To say – with one voice – enough is enough.
“That means coming together, across Government, across Parliament and across the whole justice system to fundamentally tackle how we approach violence against women.”
McSweeney was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 38 years at the Old Bailey in December 2022 after admitting sexually assaulting and murdering Ms Aleena.
In November 2023, he won a Court of Appeal bid to reduce the minimum term of his life sentence to 33 years.
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