Zara Aleena: Family pay tribute to ‘joy of our life’ as man charged with murder and attempted rape

Jordan McSweeney is due to appear in court on Wednesday

A man is due in court Wednesday over the murder of Zara Aleena who died after being attacked on an east London street just 10 minutes from her home. The 35-year-old was walking along Cranbrook Road in Ilford when she was attacked on Sunday morning. She was found by members of the public and attended to by paramedics at 245am. A post-mortem examination revealed she had "multiple serious injuries". Zara's family on Wednesday released a statement saying their loss was "irreparable" and added that the law graduate "believed that a woman should be able to walk home". Jordan McSweeney, 29, has been charged with Zara's murder and is due to appear in Thames Magistrates' Court today. He also faces charges of attempted rape and robbery. Zara friends, according to a report by the BBC, have said she was "so soft and gentle, she never had a bad word to say about anyone". She graduated from the University of Westminster in October after extensive studying and had only been working at the Royal Courts of Justice for a few weeks. After McSweeney's arrest, Zara's family paid tribute to her saying she was a "joy to all of us". "She was always the bigger person in any situation. She was authentic and refused to try and impress anyone but she impressed us," they said in a statement. "She was the rock of our family. "Zara was stoic and held it all together and never complained. She glued our community together." The family went on to say "we must prevent and stop violence against women and girls". "Our loss is irreparable and the void feels insurmountable but the warmth and kindness that our community has shown is testament to the power of Zara's spirit." Related links:

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