The aunt of murdered law graduate Zara Aleena is calling for a new law that would require bystanders to intervene when they see people in danger.
The 35-year-old woman was murdered by a prolific criminal in June 2022 while walking home after having a drink with a friend in east London.
It follows a report by Lady Elish Angiolini on preventing sexually motivated crimes against women in public, published four years after the rape and murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021.
One of their recommendations was that the government should encourage more people to take action when they see bad behavior and consider introducing the so-called Good Samaritan law.
Home Minister Shabana Mahmood has said the government will carefully consider the recommendations.
Aleena’s aunt Farah Naz told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that a new law would not mean witnesses were put at risk as intervening could mean calling the police, adding it was about creating a “cultural change”.
She said Lady Elish’s report stated that women’s safety in public required “whole of society action” and that communities should feel “liberated to act”.
“My proposal for a Good Samaritan law is exactly that,” Ms. Naz said. “It creates a legal duty to act when someone is clearly in danger, offering protection and obligation.”
She continued: “We are told that women are not safe in public spaces and that they have to be responsible for their own safety.
“So the State must act urgently to make women feel safe; they have the right to feel safe in public spaces.”
Countries around the world that enforce some form of Good Samaritan law, which legally protects those they help from fear or being sued for “ordinary negligence,” include the United States, Canada and Finland.
Meanwhile, Germany, Italy, Poland and Portugal have a “duty to rescue law” – rather than a Good Samaritan Law – making it a crime not to provide assistance in an emergency, if they can reasonably do so without putting their own life at risk.
Sexual predator Jordan McSweeney was captured on CCTV stalking the streets of Ilford approaching women before lunging and fatally punching Ms Aleena.
The 29-year-old had been released from prison just nine days before he stalked, assaulted and murdered Aleena in what was described as a “brutal attack”.
Naz said Lady Elish’s report “cause pain” but was necessary “because it shows how the system failed and still fails to stop dangerous men from roaming the streets”.
“The report denounces a systemic failure that occurred in both Sarah’s and Zara’s cases. A systemic failure led to their murders,” he added.
The Angiolini investigation was launched in 2021, following the kidnapping, rape and murder of Ms Everard, 33, by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens.
It looked at how Couzens was able to carry out his crimes and broader issues within policing and women’s safety.
The first report, published in February 2024, found a number of flaws and concluded that Everard’s killer should never have been a police officer, highlighting that opportunities to stop him were missed.
Lady Elish recommended that by September 2024, police forces should ensure they have a specialist policy in place for the investigation of all sexual offences, including “non-contact” offenses such as indecent exposure.
At the latest stage of the investigation it was reported that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) had developed guidance to support forces with this, but as of September this year, 26% of police forces had not implemented the recommendation.
Recommendations in its second report, released Tuesday, included improving information and programs to create a culture of positive masculinity for men and boys, and specific and consistent public messaging on how to report crimes.
In a foreword to the inquest’s second report, Sarah’s mother, Susan Everard, said: “I have not yet reached the point where happy memories of Sarah come to light.
“When I think of her, I can’t get over the horror of her last hours.”
