Zara Aleena’s murderer wins Court of Appeal bid over minimum sentence

Jordan McSweeney has had the minimum term of his life sentence reduced to 33 years.

Zara Aleena who was murdered by Jordan McSweeney in Ilford, east London (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Wire)

The murderer of Zara Aleena has won a Court of Appeal bid to reduce the minimum term of his life sentence in a decision her family has called a “shallow triumph” for him.

Jordan McSweeney killed the 35-year-old law graduate as she walked home from a night out in Ilford, east London, early on June 26 2022.

McSweeney, who refused to attend his sentencing hearing last December, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 38 years after admitting Ms Aleena’s murder and sexual assault.

At a hearing at the Court of Appeal in London last month, he made a bid to reduce the minimum term of his sentence, appearing for the start of proceedings via videolink from Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire.

The message it conveys to women is disheartening, suggesting that a ‘life sentence’ may not truly mean a lifetime behind bars. It is, in all honesty, a shallow triumph for him

Family statement

In a ruling on Friday, three judges at the appeal court reduced McSweeney’s sentence to life with a minimum term of 33 years, finding the original sentence was “manifestly excessive”.

Following the decision, the trainee solicitor’s family branded McSweeney a “repugnant man” and said the decision sends a “disheartening” message to women.

Sentencing McSweeney last year, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said a suggestion Ms Aleena had remained unconscious during the nine-minute attack was speculation and found McSweeney took Ms Aleena’s mobile phone to stop her calling for help.

But during a short hearing on Friday, which McSweeney attended via videolink from prison, the Lady Chief Justice Lady Carr said: “Having correctly found that Ms Aleena must have been rendered unconscious at an early stage in the attack, the judge had lacked a sufficient evidential basis on which to be sure that there had been additional mental or physical suffering such as to justify an increase in the 30-year starting point.”

In a 12-page judgment also published on Friday, Lady Carr, sitting with Mrs Justice McGowan and Mrs Justice Ellenbogen, said the “sexual nature” of the attack had already doubled the starting point of the sentence from 15 to 30 years.

She later said the conclusion that McSweeney took Ms Aleena’s phone to stop her calling for help was “not justified” and should not have increased his sentence.

Lady Carr concluded: “These were abhorrent crimes.

“They involved a planned, determined sexual assault, followed by a sustained and repeated attack which culminated in the death of a young, wonderful woman, full of promise and talent, and who was loved by so many.

“She was spirited, intelligent and kind.”

The senior judge also noted the minimum term only determines when an offender becomes eligible to be considered for release by the Parole Board, and they “will not necessarily be released at the end of that term, or at any time after that”.

In a statement issued by Ms Aleena’s aunt Farah Naz after the ruling, the trainee solicitor’s said: “Today’s decision, a decision to reduce the minimum sentence for that repugnant man, aligns with an established legal sentencing framework, a framework we comprehend.

“Yet the message it conveys to women is disheartening, suggesting that a ‘life sentence’ may not truly mean a lifetime behind bars. It is, in all honesty, a shallow triumph for him.

“Despite his sentencing to a minimum of 33 years, his time in incarceration has been marred by abhorrent conduct, marked by a lack of remorse and a callous attitude toward others. The prospect of his release after 33 years remains slim, but, naturally, we hope he remains imprisoned for life.”

They continued: “In the wake of this decision, we choose to relegate this man to obscurity, hoping that society forgets him as a meaningless and despicable individual. Our focus now lies elsewhere.

“Zara, a beacon of hope, a symbol of change. Her tragic murder stands as a catalyst for reshaping how society safeguards women. She serves as our guiding light, and we invite each and every one of you to stand with us in preserving her memory, supporting our campaigning efforts, and ensuring that her legacy is not forgotten.”

At the hearing of McSweeney’s appeal last month, his barrister said it was accepted there was a sexual motive to the crime, but argued the murder itself was not premeditated, describing it as an “opportunistic act”.

“He planned to look for a sexual encounter, with or without consent,” George Carter-Stephenson KC added.

However, Oliver Glasgow KC, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the suggestion McSweeney had not intended to kill Ms Aleena was “unsustainable” and that he had spent two hours stalking several women before turning his attention to the trainee solicitor.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said: “Jordan McSweeney committed a despicable crime for which the only punishment should be life behind bars.

“This is exactly why we’re pushing ahead with important reforms to keep offenders like him locked up for good. A whole life order should be handed down to murderers with sexual conduct, unless there are truly exceptional circumstances.

“This will mean for the most depraved killers life means life with no prospect of release.”