Neighbour’s horror after watching stranger pacing on driveway – only to later discover it was Zara Aleena’s ‘killer’

NEIGHBOURS told of their horror at discovering a stranger pacing on their driveway could have been Zara Aleena's "killer".

"Bubbly" aspiring lawyer Zara, 35, was attacked by a man who allegedly "came at her from behind" in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Cops have arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of her murder.

Now, a neighbour has described watching a man from her bedroom window pacing across a driveway on the night Zara was killed in Ilford, East London.

She believes the same man attacked aspiring lawyer Zara as she walked home from a night out around 2.40am.

Zara's body was discovered by a dog walker shortly after, the neighbour added.

The resident - who asked not to be named - said: "There was a man pacing up and down the driveway of the house opposite, we thought he was drunk.

"He was on the drive next to a white car that was parked there and was looking down at something.

"We didn’t see anything other than him, but he was stumbling around on the drive and we thought he was drunk.

"We were watching out of the window, I was in my bedroom the whole time.

"What shocked me is that it was so quiet.

"We’ve heard from other residents that he came from behind her and put his hand on her mouth.

"Maybe that’s why we didn’t hear anything."

Shortly after, the couple noticed neighbours were gathered on the street looking at something - and her husband went out to investigate.