Zara Aleena’s killer Jordan McSweeney was caught having sex with a prison worker inside top-security prison HMP Belmarsh, MailOnline can reveal.

McSweeney, 30, stalked, sexually assaulted and murdered the 35-year-old aspiring lawyer days after being released from prison in June 2022.

MailOnline can now reveal that despite being held in HMP Belmarsh, one of the UK’s top-security prisons which is typically reserved for some of the most dangerous offenders, McSweeney was caught having sex with a female prison worker in April last year.

He was caught with the woman, who is not a prison officer, after the pair managed to gain sole access to a room inside the prison, which they then locked from the inside, a source said. 

The worker, who is not a prison officer, has been suspended and has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct. An internal investigation is said to be underway into how the incident occurred. 

McSweeney, 30, was caught having sex with the female prison worker, who is not a prison officer

Zara Aleena, 35, died after a vicious nine-minute attack which left her with 46 separate injuries

After breaching his licencing conditions in 2022 recall proceedings were begun against McSweeney, but these were too late to save Ms Aleena, who sustained 46 separate injuries in the nine-minute attack on June 26.

The killer, who pursued five women before attacking Ms Aleena, refused to attend his sentencing hearing and also walked out of an appeal to have his 38-year-sentence reduced last year.

His jail term was eventually cut to life with a minimum of 33 years on November 3.

HMP Belmarsh, a category A prison with capacity for 792 male inmates, is where some of the UK’s most dangerous inmates are sent, including those imprisoned for crimes involving national security. 

The Ministry of Justice has previously warned it takes all allegations of staff wrongdoing ‘extremely seriously’, adding that staff found guilty of inappropriate relationships with prisoners can be sent to prison themselves.

McSweeney was sentenced for the murder in December 2022 but refused to attend court to face his victim’s devastated family and friends. 

HMP Belmarsh, a category A prison with capacity for 792 male inmates, is where some of the UK’s most dangerous inmates are sent

McSweeney dragged Ms Aleena (pictured) into an alleyway, where he murdered and sexually assaulted her

He has a long criminal history dating back to the age of 12, with 28 previous convictions for 69 separate offences including burglary, theft of a vehicle, criminal damage, assaulting police officers and assaulting members of the public while on bail.

During his sentence appeal last year, the Old Bailey heard McSweeney stalked Ms Aleena along Cranbrook Road in Ilford, London, before grabbing her from behind and dragging her into a driveway. 

She was brutally strangled and stamped to death by the ‘pugnacious’ killer in a ‘merciless’ attack. 

Around 45 minutes after the start of his bid to reduce the minimum term of his life sentence, the hearing was paused following McSweeney’s departure.

An unnamed prison officer, who appeared on the videolink with McSweeney, said: ‘He’s heard enough and has got everything he requires in his cell.’

Responding to the decision to cut his sentence, Zara’s aunt Farah Naz said: ‘Today’s decision, a decision to reduce the minimum sentence for that repugnant man, aligns with an established legal sentencing framework, a framework we comprehend.

‘Yet, the message it conveys to women is disheartening, suggesting that a ‘life sentence’ may not truly mean a lifetime behind bars. It is, in all honesty, a shallow triumph for him.’

He had been released from prison nine days prior to the killing, with a damning report by the UK’s Chief Inspector of Probation finding a catalogue of errors led up to the decision.

This included McSweeney not being treated as a high-risk offender, and subsequent delays to signing off on a recall to prison order after he breached his licence conditions within days of release. 

He was also released despite the probation service having no record of where he would be staying, after his mother requested he not be sent to her address. 

The Metropolitan Police said the Probation Service had commenced recall proceedings on June 22, just days before the murder, after he missed two appointments. 

Ms Aleena, who was training to be a solicitor at the time of her murder, was found struggling to breathe after being attacked and later died in hospital. 

The Met Police said: ‘On 6 April 2023, the Met received an allegation of inappropriate conduct involving a serving member of staff at HMP Belmarsh.

‘The same day, a 32-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

‘She was bailed pending further enquiries until a date in late July. She was later released under investigation.

‘Enquiries are ongoing.’

A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘It would be inappropriate to comment on a live police investigation.’