Zara Aleena killing shows women don't feel as safe as they should - as a parent I want to change that, Sunak says
19 November 2022, 00:02
Rishi Sunak has said he wants to ensure his daughters can "walk around safely" after Zara Aleena's killer admitted murdering the law graduate.
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The Prime Minister said the "events of the last year showed us that so many women and girls, actually for a while, have not felt as safe as they should".
His comments came after Jordan McSweeney, 29, admitted killing Ms Aleena, an aspiring lawyer, as she walked home from a night out in east London.
It emerged he had 28 convictions for 69 offences and had only been released from prison nine days before the killing in June, when he stalked, sexually assaulted and then stamped on her.
Hours earlier, police had attempted to arrest him for breaching the terms of his release.
Speaking at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Mr Sunak said he came at the problem as a parent. He has two daughters, Krishna, 11, and Anoushka, 10.
"I have two young girls who I talked about over the summer. My eldest is at the age where she's starting to walk to places by herself or is wanting to," he said.
"That brings it home… I want to make sure that my kids and everyone else can walk around safely.
"That's what any parent wants for their children. It's what anyone wants, for particularly their wife or their sister."
McSweeney, of Dagenham, had previous convictions for assaulting police officers and the public.
He was seen on CCTV following a number of women on the evening he attacked Ms Aleena.
Oliver Glasgow KC said he was a stranger to Ms Aleena the brutal attack left her with "no chance of survival".
Ms Aleena, 35, was left partially naked early on June 26 and struggling to breathe. She later died in hospital.
She had only recently started work at the Royal Courts of Justice, with her family describing her as the "happiest she had ever been".
Relatives described her as "independent, big-hearted and a joy".
McSweeney is due to be sentenced in December.
