CCTV footage along the route where law graduate Zara Aleena was murdered by a sex predator as she walked home was not monitored at the time, her relatives have claimed.
Ms Aleena, 35, was murdered by Jordan McSweeney after leaving a bar in Ilford, East London, in June 2022.
One staff member whose job it was to monitor the CCTV where Ms Aleena was killed called in sick on the night, while a second was reviewing an earlier incident at the time of the victim’s death, it was claimed.
The law graduate’s family are understood to have become aware of the situation ahead of an inquest into Ms Aleena’s death, according to The Sun.
Relatives believe that Redbridge Council’s CCTV HQ, which has 19 cameras on Cranbrook Road – where Ms Aleena was killed – was not staffed at the time.
A source said: ‘There is a probe going on involving the council and the police and it is focusing on whether there has been any negligence.’
The source added: ‘Two people should have been monitoring surveillance screens but the family believe one was off, leaving just the other, which in itself is questionable.’
CCTV footage showed McSweeney, a former fairground worker, walking around the area for hours as he searched for a victim.
The killer, who had 28 convictions and had only been released from prison nine days earlier, had been thrown out of a pub for harassing women.
McSweeney then followed four lone women before targeting Ms Aleena at 2.15am and dragging her into an alley. He sexually assaulted Ms Aleena and beat her for nine minutes, causing her 46 injuries.
The killer was discovered after CCTV traced his movements before he killed Ms Aleena, who was seen on 15 different CCTV cameras.
McSweeney, now 30, pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault and was sentenced to life in prison.
The alleged probe into CCTV failures comes after Ms Aleena’s aunt Farah Naz said both bosses and ministers ‘have blood on their hands’ over failings linked to the case.
McSweeney was wrongly assessed as ‘medium risk’ instead of high, even after a long history of violence against women.
MailOnline has contacted Redbridge Council for comment. The Met Police declined to comment.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
