A court has sentenced a Nigerian government official's son to life imprisonment on 20 January after he was found guilty of raping and murdering a high-class escort on 11 February 2016. Bala Chinda (26) committed the crime just weeks after arriving in Scotland for pursuing his higher studies at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, according to reports.
Jessica McGraa's partially dressed body was found in the flat that she had rented in the city's Union Terrace on 12 February. Autopsy reports suggested that she suffered blunt force injuries to her jaw, chest and chin, following which she died. However, Chinda denied killing the 37-year-old escort and sobbed as he was given the sentence, reported BBC.
Police zeroed down on Chinda from CCTV footages which showed Jessica going his student accommodation with him. They returned to her apartment in a short time. She also made her last call on her mobile phone a few minutes before surveillance cameras recorded the accused walking down the street away from her flat. The investigations also revealed that Chinda, after smothering Jessica with a pillow, stole her two mobile phones and destroying a SIM card from his own phone so that he cannot be traced.
Police also learnt that not many people knew that Jessica was working as an escort. Her husband Gareth McGraa (57), who now has the sole responsibility for their eight-year-old son said according to Daily record: "No matter what Jessica was doing behind my back, she didn't deserve to die the way she did – no woman does."
"I hope the b*****d now rots in hell where he belongs and that we've at least got some justice for Jessica," he added.