The son of a Nigerian diplomat has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the UK for raping and
murdering a high class escort.Bala Chinda, 26, killed 37-year-old Jessica McGraa, a £200 per hour sex worker few weeks after he arrived in Scotland to study at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
According to CCTV footage, McGraa and Chinda went to his accommodation in the city’s King Street in a taxi before they returned to her apartment a short time later.
Miss McGraa, who is also a Nigerian was said to have made her last call on her mobile phone a few minutes before surveillance cameras recorded Chinda, walking down the street away from her flat.
A jury comprising eight women and seven men found Chinda guilty on Friday of murdering Miss McGraa. The jury which took six hours to decide Chinda’s fate also found him guilty of raping the mother of one and stealing her two mobile phones in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.
Judge Lord Beckett, who delivered the judgment told Chinda he must serve a minimum of 18 years. The Nigerian, whose father works as the immigration attaché at the Nigerian embassy in Beijing, wept uncontrollably after he was found guilty by the jury. McGraa was said to have died by asphyxiation.
Chinda changed his phone number after the murder. Following the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Houston said, “This was a challenging case for all involved, using the full resources of Police Scotland to understand what happened to Jessica and trace the person responsible for her murder – a man who went to great lengths to cover his involvement and deceived his victim from the outset.
“At the heart of this horrific crime was a young mother, daughter and friend whose life was cut tragically short in what must have been terrifying circumstances.’ He added, “Throughout Chinda has shown no real remorse for his depraved actions and taken no responsibility for robbing a young boy of his mother.
It is hard to imagine how difficult this past year has been for her family and friends and our thoughts are with them today.” Before her murder Miss McGraa had a seven-year-old son who lived in London with a fellow Nigerian Bimbo Ouiawe, 50, who she had adopted as her mother.