Sunday 3 July 2022 12:15 PM Zara Aleena, 35, 'believed it was safer to walk at night than take a taxi with ... trends now
Zara Aleena 'would not use taxis because she was scared of sharing a car with a stranger and believed it was safer to walk home at night because street lights were on', a friend has said.
The aspiring lawyer, 35, was just minutes from her home when she was attacked in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, in the early hours of June 26 following a night out with friends.
Louise De’Souza, a neighbour who knew Zara from when she was a child, said she avoided using taxis to get home at night and would instead choose to walk.
The 60-year-old told The Mirror: 'Unless someone was sharing or she knew the driver, she wouldn’t get in. I said: "Don’t walk late at night".
'She said she was safer because the street lights were on.'
It comes as a memorial organised by Zara's family on Saturday traced the walk home she would have taken before the fatal attack.
The aspiring lawyer, 35, was just minutes from her house in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, when she was attacked as she walked home from a night out with friends in the early hours of June 26
Family and friends with members of the public attend a vigil in Ilford, east London on Saturday
A large quantity of flowers, tributes and candles are place in Cranbrook Road in Ilford, east London
A court sketch of Jordan McSweeney appearing by video link from HMP Thameside during a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday
The majority of those walking along Cranbrook Road wore white clothing as requested by the family, others held flowers and pictures of Ms Aleena aloft.
Dozens of other mourners left bouquets of flowers and cards in tribute to the latest high profile victim of violence
