A Colombian student who killed a Sydney sex worker has been sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Key points:
- Hector Valencia was found guilty of manslaughter
- He killed sex worker Kimberley McRae in 2020, before leaving the country
- Valencia was extradited from Aruba in the Caribbean by NSW Police
Hector Valencia, 23, was found guilty of manslaughter in February after he pressed a lamp cord against Kimberley McRae’s neck and left the 69-year-old’s body inside her Coogee apartment in January 2020.
In the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Dina Yehia sentenced Valencia to a 10-year prison term with a non-parole period of 6 years and 9 months.
With time already served in custody included in his sentence, Valencia will first be eligible for release in November 2026.
Ms McRae had last been seen several days before her body was discovered after family members raised concerns.
The court heard Valencia had texted Ms McRae and organised to pay the sex worker $100 for her services in January 2020.
Ms McRae was a transgender woman.
After receiving sexual services from Ms McRae, Valencia realised she was transgender and became angry.
“He punched her in the stomach and the face,” Justice Yehia said.
“A struggle ensued which resulted in both the deceased and offender falling to the floor.
“He (Valencia) held a cord over the deceased’s neck with both his hands for some seconds … the cause of death was asphyxiation caused by the compression.”
The judge said Valencia showed “callousness” as he fled Ms McRae’s apartment, leaving her lifeless body on the floor.
However, Justice Yehia said the 23-year-old has since shown remorse for his actions and had “good prospects for rehabilitation”.
Extradition from the Caribbean
The Homicide Squad established Strike Force Onshore to investigate Ms McRae’s death, which led them to a suspect on the Caribbean island of Aruba about a month later.
Officers from the Aruba Police Force arrested Valencia on February 26, 2020 and he has remained in custody on the island while NSW Police arranged for his extradition.
Police said Valencia had been in Australia for some time on a student visa but left shortly after Ms McRae’s death and travelled to South America and then into Aruba.
At trial, the Crown had argued that Valencia should be found guilty of murder and that he killed Ms McRae due to prejudice towards transgender people.
But Justice Yehia rejected this, instead finding that the act was committed in a moment of anger and that Valencia was guilty of manslaughter as he had not planned to kill Ms McRae.
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