Murder of law student Zara Aleena: CCTV staff absent during tragic incident
One CCTV staffer had called in sic when Zara was killed
CCTV covering the route on which Zara Aleena was murdered as she walked home was not monitored at the time, it is feared.
One control room staff member had called in sick and the second was reviewing an earlier incident when law graduate Zara, 35, was killed.
Zara was attacked as she walked home from a night out in Ilford in June 2022 Credit: Chris Eades
Killer Jordan McSweeney was pictured on CCTV tailing women in the lead-up to Zara’s deathCredit: PA
Her family are said to have become aware of the situation ahead of an inquest into Zara’s death in June.
She was beaten by sexual predator Jordan McSweeney after leaving a bar in Ilford, East London, in June 2022.
Redbridge Council’s CCTV HQ, which has 653 cameras — 19 on Cranbrook Road, where Zara was killed — was not staffed at the time, it is believed.
A source said: “There is a probe going on involving the council and the police and it does appear there might have been some negligence.
“There is no clarity as to what happened and potentially grave errors that could have stopped this attacker.”
The source added: “Two people should have been monitoring surveillance screens but one was off, leaving just the other, which in itself is questionable.
"But to make matters worse they were apparently summoned away to review footage of an earlier incident.
“If the cameras had been monitored, police and the council’s own security staff might have been able to intervene.
"There is a strong feeling McSweeney could have been stopped.”
Footage showed fairground worker Sweeney, who had 28 convictions, stripped to his prison-issue vest as he hunted for a victim.
The fiend, who had been released from jail only nine days earlier, had tailed four women before targeting 5ft 2in Zara at 2.15am.
McSweeney, who should have been recalled to jail for missing a probation appointment, dragged her into an alley, beating her for nine minutes, causing 46 injuries.
McSweeney was convicted after CCTV traced his movements before he killed Zara, who herself was picked up on 15 cameras. He got life.
Concerns over CCTV monitoring are understood to have been raised at a pre-inquest hearing into Zara’s death last month.
Zara’s aunt, Farah Naz, said previously probation bosses and ministers “have blood on their hands” over failings linked to the case.
It came after McSweeney was incorrectly assessed as “medium risk” instead of high, despite a long history of violence against women.
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