The brutal killer behind the murder of Zara Aleena was known for his criminal streak even as a child when he would steal from friends.
Former neighbours of Jordan McSweeney recalled his nasty behaviour describing him as a child who liked to "double cross people" without shame.
Others were scared to speak out after the 29-year-old pleaded guilty to murdering Zara as she walked home from a night out in east London last summer.
He also admitted sexually assaulting the law graduate who he kicked and stamped on before leaving her partially naked and struggling to breathe.
Villagers in Kent described McSweeney as "a little s**t" who was known for his bad behaviour where he grew up, reports My London.
He was also notorious for stealing from friends and getting into fights in the picturesque village which has a view of the River Medway.
Drugs and alcohol were consumed in vast quantities and often sparked the violence McSweeney would come to be associated with.
McSweeney was born in Dagenham, Essex, and then spent his childhood in a semi-detached house in Medway, Kent with his mum.
One resident refused to speak about McSweeney following the murder of Zara for fear of being called "a grass."
"People won’t talk to you about Jordan. Not round here," another explained."
The few who did speak about the killer described him as a boy who liked to double-cross people and brag about it.
But as a child, his cherubic features and charm gave people a very different impression.
“He had such a cute little face,” recalls Angie Briggs who walked her dogs in the area and often saw McSweeney because of this.
“When he was 14 or 15, I thought he was a nice looking young man. He had a baby face. I didn't know why he had so many problems.
"He seemed to be very fond and proud of his mum, she was a tiny little lady.
"I saw him once and he put his arm around her [and said to me] ‘she's pretty, isn't she?'”
Angie began to have issues with some of the teenagers in McSweeney’s group when they started driving their motorbikes close to her dogs.
The children would speed up beside her through narrow alleys scaring the dogs, and the problem got so bad that she contacted the police.
One local officer was very helpful in dealing with the issue, but she believes the gang realised she was making reports against them and took revenge.
"About five times over a couple of years I had my car vandalised,” she continued.
"I had it stolen, but [had an anti-theft device] on it so they couldn't get it far, they just pushed it down the road from me.
"It was vandalised and the windows were smashed. The police used to come out and take fingerprints, but I never heard anything and didn't think I would."
During this time, McSweeney would see Angie often and was always said to be friendly.
Then, the police contacted her to say she had a match for a palm print on the car.
When she asked who it was, her jaw dropped when she was told it was baby face McSweeney.
Like the rest of the neighbourhood, Angie was shocked by what he did to Zara.
"He was off the rails but I never thought he’d go to that extreme," she added.
On Friday, McSweeney pleaded guilty to murder at the Old Bailey.
Zara was walking in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, 10 minutes from her home, when she was attacked in the early hours on June 26.
The aspiring lawyer was rushed to Royal London Hospital with “multiple injuries" and had been stamped on repeatedly, and sadly died hours later.
Zara's aunt Farah Naz said: "If you met Zara today, you would be meeting an amazing, genuine, independent, sassy, strong, funny, kind, hard working, brave woman but above all else, she always did the right thing."
