Call for New “Good Samaritan” Law After Tragic Murders of Zara Aleena and Sarah Everard

The aunt of murdered law graduate Zara Aleena is urging for the introduction of a groundbreaking “Good Samaritan” law, which would mandate bystanders to intervene when witnessing individuals in peril. This proposal follows a critical report by Lady Elish Angiolini investigating the prevention of sexually motivated crimes against women in public, prompted by the tragic deaths of Zara Aleena and Sarah Everard.

Zara Aleena, 35, was brutally killed in June 2022 by a repeat offender as she walked home in east London after an evening with a friend. Her death, along with the 2021 rape and murder of Sarah Everard, has intensified calls for greater public safety measures. Lady Elish’s report recommended that the government encourage more public action against harmful behavior and consider implementing a “Good Samaritan” law. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has indicated that the government will carefully review these recommendations.

Farah Naz, Ms. Aleena’s aunt, explained that such a law would not compel witnesses to endanger themselves, noting that intervention could simply mean contacting the police. Speaking to reporters, Ms. Naz emphasized that the aim is to foster a “cultural change.” She highlighted that Lady Elish’s report stressed that women’s safety in public demands “whole society action,” and communities should feel “liberated to act.”

“My proposal for a Good Samaritan law is exactly that,” Ms. Naz stated. “It creates legal duty to act when someone is clearly in danger, offering protection and obligation.” She further asserted, “We’re being told that women are not safe in public spaces and they have to be responsible for their own safety. So the state does need to be acting with urgency to make women feel safe, they have a right to feel safe in public spaces.”

Millenium TV has learned that several nations worldwide already have some form of “Good Samaritan” law, legally safeguarding those who offer assistance from potential lawsuits for “ordinary negligence.” These include the United States, Canada, and Finland. Additionally, countries like Germany, Italy, Poland, and Portugal enforce “duty to rescue” laws, making it a criminal offense to fail to provide reasonable assistance in an emergency without risking one’s own life.

Sexual predator Jordan McSweeney, 29, was captured on CCTV actively stalking women in Ilford before he attacked and fatally beat Ms. Aleena. He had been released from prison just nine days prior to the “brutal attack.” Ms. Naz reflected that Lady Elish’s report, while painful, is crucial “because it shows how the system failed, and still fails to stop dangerous men from roaming the streets.” She added that the report “calls out systemic failure which occurred both in the case of Sarah and Zara. Systemic failure led to their murders.”

The Angiolini Inquiry, launched in 2021 following the abduction, rape, and murder of Ms. Everard, 33, by a serving Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, examined his ability to commit such crimes and broader issues within policing and women’s safety. The first report, published in February 2024, identified numerous failures, concluding that Ms. Everard’s killer should never have been a police officer and highlighting missed opportunities to prevent his actions. Lady Elish recommended that by September 2024, police forces should implement specialist policies for investigating all sexual offenses, including “non-contact” offenses like indecent exposure. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) developed guidance for this, but as of September this year, 26% of police forces had yet to implement the recommendation.

Recommendations in the inquiry’s second report, released recently, include improving information and programs to cultivate a culture of positive masculinity for men and boys, along with targeted public messaging on how to report crimes. Sarah Everard’s mother, Susan Everard, shared in the foreword of the second report, “I am not yet at the point where happy memories of Sarah come to the fore. When I think of her. I can’t get past the horror of her last hours.” Millenium TV continues to follow these critical developments.