A Kent serial criminal with a history of violence was able to sexually assault and murder a law graduate after mistakes were made by probation staff, a report has found.

Jordan McSweeney, 29, formerly of Shorts Way, Borstal, Medway was caught on CCTV drunkenly lurching in the street after being ejected from a pub for pestering a female member of staff.

He followed three women and confronted a fourth before targeting 35-year-old Zara Aleena as she walked home from a night out, nine days after he had been released on licence from prison.

A report by Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell says today (Tuesday) (Jan 24) he had been wrongly assessed as "medium risk" by staff who were under "mounting pressure" at the time,

In December, McSweeney was given a minimum term of 38 years by a judge at the Old Bailey for the "terrifying and ruthless" attack on his victim.

He had admitted savagely kicking and stamping on the trainee solicitor who was walking home in Ilford, east London. McSweeney had 28 previous convictions for 69 separate offences dating back 17 years, Mr Russell said.

The prolific thief, who was then living in Dagenham, was described in court as a "damaged person" who had experienced a troubled childhood during which domestic violence was the "norm". He was taken into care and expelled from school; he sold drugs and took part in bare-knuckle fights for money.

He had served nine prison terms for crimes including burglary, theft and possession of an offensive weapon before the attack in the early hours of June 26. He also had a history of violence towards ex-partners.

Mr Russell's report described how McSweeney's case was allocated to a probation officer only nine days before he left prison, meaning there was little time for planning his supervision.

Information about some of McSweeney's violent behaviour, including the details of a restraining order taken out against him in 2021, was not part of his probation assessment, the report found. Where he was going to stay was not known at the point of his release and he was not monitored with an electronic tag.

McSweeney's licence was soon revoked because of his failure to attend any meetings with probation officers. But it was not decided he should be recalled to prison until June 24, the report said. He murdered Ms Aleena two days later. One worker faced disciplinary action over the case.

"Once that decision (to recall McSweeney) had been made, there were also delays in signing the necessary paperwork to initiate the recall. Had this been done sooner, opportunities for the police to locate and arrest McSweeney would have been maximised," the report said.

It added that if the Probation Service had correctly assigned McSweeney as high risk, more urgent action may have been taken after his release.

"The Probation Service failed to do so and he was free to commit this most heinous crime on an innocent young woman," Mr Russell said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “This is a damning report which makes clear that, even before Zara’s brutal murder, McSweeney was a dangerous, prolific and violent predator who should never have been left at liberty to take the life of an innocent young woman.

“The Probation Service has failed in this case. This failure is symptomatic of wider issues after 13 years of chaotic Government policies and cuts that must be addressed immediately.”

The report says McSweeney missed multiple probation appointments and should have been recalled to prison two days before he killed Ms Aleena.

Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow KC told the Old Bailey that McSweeney "repeatedly kicked and stamped" on his victim's head head and body, tore clothes from her body and then attacked her again, "kicking and stamping on her face and neck, returning several times to continue the brutal violence."

He threw her mobile phone over a garden wall so she could not call for help.

Police identified McSweeney from a fingerprint at the scene and chilling CCTV footage. Officers traced him to a caravan on a fairground and arrested him.

The court was told the thief and burglar had been released from prison on licence on June 17 – just days before the attack.

He pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault but refused to leave cells at the Old Bailey to be sentenced.

In a televised sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb jailed him in his absence for life with a minimum term of 38 years. She said McSweeney’s decision not to face justice showed he had “no spine whatsoever”.