Man caught on CCTV in Jessica McGraa murder trial
Bala Chinda denies killing the Aberdeen mum
A man accused of murdering a sex worker was captured on CCTV walking along a pavement near her flat on the day that she died, a court heard today.
Bala Chinda allegedly raped Jessica McGraa, forced her face into a pillow and asphyxiated her in an apartment on Union Terrace in Aberdeen on February 11th last year.
The escort's body was found half naked in a bedroom after she was recorded on a surveillance camera heading to the apartment with a man before her body was discovered.
Footage showed the lower half of their bodies walking towards the city centre block of flats shortly after 1pm on the day she was allegedly killed.
Giving evidence at the High Court in Aberdeen yesterday, Detective Constable Christine White told the jury that CCTV footage showed Chinda on Union Terrace shortly after the escort had returned home in a taxi.
She identified Chinda in the dock yesterday as the man who was captured on the footage heading back to student accommodation based at an old fire station on King Street.
The court also heard that three stains found on a pillow case in the bedroom where Jessica McGraa's body was found were also analysed by forensics.
Forensic scientist Ruth Ramage told the court that tests were also carried out on several lipsticks recovered from the property and found to be of the same chemical composition.
Advocate depute Paul Kearney asked if any other details came to light about the main mark found on the pillow case.
Ms Ramage said: "We found it had well defined edges and appeared to be a static mark in that it was a mark made by one contact and not any movement in it.
"There was no swipe, it was just a single contact."
However, she told the court there were too many variables involved to determine how much force was involved in the contact between the source of the lipstick and the material.
Defending, Ian Duguid QC asked the scientist if she knew that the woman who died had worked as a sex worker and whether it could have been the case that she went to bed at night with her make-up on.
However, Ms Ramage said the pillow would be more likely to show lipstick marks with movement if someone had been sleeping with their face against the pillow.
Chinda, 26, is claimed to have inflicted blunt force trauma to Miss McGraa's head and compressed her neck. Prosecutors also claim he stole a key from the escort and two of her mobile phones and disposed of them.
He is also said to have disposed of his own phone in a bid to destroy evidence in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.
Chinda denies the offences.