Tuesday 28 June 2022 08:03 AM Neighbours say CCTV shows Zara Aleena, 35, being followed and attacked trends now
The violent death of a law graduate ambushed and beaten to death in an 'opportunist stranger attack' is already being compared to the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa as police question a 29-year-old man neighbours claim was caught in the act on CCTV.
Zara Aleena, 35, died from severe head injuries after she was followed and attacked in the street while walking to her mother's house in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, after a night out with friends in central London in the early hours of Sunday.
Her death has left her family heartbroken and sparked a 36-hour manhunt that ended yesterday afternoon in the arrest of a 29-year-old man from the area on suspicion of her murder. He remains in custody today.
Police were handed CCTV of the attack by a resident who lived across the street. He told The Times: 'The guy came from the back, he was following her. It happened on the main road. He punched her a few times.'
Investigators believe the perpetrator did not use any weapons, just his fists. Zara's murder is feared to have been sexually motivated but police would not comment on whether she was raped or sexually assaulted.
The unprovoked attack on Miss Aleena is already being compared to the murders of teacher Sabina Nessa, 28, and marketing manager Sarah Everard, 33, who were both attacked while out alone in London. Both their killers were opportunistic and chose them at random.
Miss Aleena's friend Nadia, 42, a school teacher, said: 'She just decided to walk home because it was close by.. nothing like that has ever happened here.
'She wanted to borrow some heels and some mascara from me that night, but I couldn't answer my phone as I was busy. She was a gentle soul, she wouldn't hurt a fly. She just passed her law degree and was working in central London. She wanted to become a lawyer so she could provide for herself and her family'.
Aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena, 35, was murdered in the early hours of Sunday morning in Ilford, East London. A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of her murder
The road where Zara was found with horrific injuries was just a short distance from Gants Hill Station
Zara's death is the latest murder of a woman walking alone in London after the murders of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard
The Met have closed the road and put a cordon in place at the scene while urging women to be 'alert' but not 'alarmed' by the attack
Detectives were last night questioning a 29-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering the University of Westminster graduate.
Miss Aleena's cousin described her as a 'bubbly, high-empathy person' and said the family were devastated.
Friends recalled her excitement as she asked to borrow high heels and mascara for a night out that ended in tragedy.
Miss Aleena had been working at the Royal Courts of Justice as an administration officer while she sought a trainee solicitor role that would allow her to embark on a legal career, said her cousin, who asked not to be named.
'She was a lovely person,' he added. 'It's such a shock for the family. She wanted to become a lawyer, to make a success of herself
