CPS authorises charge in Zara Aleena murder
Lisa Ramsarran, from the CPS, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan Police Service to charge Jordan McSweeney, 29, with the murder, attempted rape and robbery of 35-year-old Zara Aleena in Ilford, on Sunday 26 June.
“The CPS authorised charges following a review of a file of evidence received from the Metropolitan Police Service.
"The defendant appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court earlier today. He was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on Friday, 1 July.
“Our thoughts are with Ms Aleena’s family, friends and colleagues at the Royal Courts of Justice.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are now active and that he has a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Notes to editors
- Jordan McSweeney (DOB: 29/03/1993) is of no fixed address.
- Lisa Ramsarran is the Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor of the pan-London Homicide Unit in CPS London North.
- The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.
- The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.