Nurse found guilty of Toyah Cordingley’s beach murder after second trial

A former hospital nurse has been found guilty of murdering Toyah Cordingley, seven years after the 24-year-old pharmacy worker’s body was found on an isolated beach.

Cordingley was discovered by her father half-buried in an isolated section of sand dunes at Wangetti Beach, about 40 kilometres north of Cairns, in far north Queensland.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, had pleaded not guilty to murder at the four-week trial before Justice Lincoln Crowley at Cairns Supreme Court.

The jury reached a verdict at the retrial on Monday afternoon after about seven hours of deliberating.

There were cheers inside the courtroom when the verdict was heard and relief from friends and family wearing purple and sunflowers – Toyah’s favourite colour and favourite flower.

It came nine months after a jury was unable to reach a verdict following days of deliberations at Singh’s first trial.

On October 21, 2018 Cordingley drove to the beach about 40 kilometres north of Cairns for a Sunday afternoon walk with her dog. Her family raised the alarm later that evening when she did not return.

Her body was found about 800 metres from her car while her dog was unharmed and tied up to a tree.

Police claimed Cordingley had died after “a personal and intimate attack”.

The tragedy rocked the laidback community, with hand-made posters soon appearing appealing for information and online tributes pouring in for the “gentle, humble and loving” Cordingley.

Around 350 people packed a small chapel in the Cairns suburb of Manunda for her funeral.

A record $1 million reward was offered by Queensland Police in late 2022 for information leading to the location and arrest of runaway suspect Singh.

Police believed Singh flew to India soon after Cordingley’s body was found, leaving his wife and children behind in the north Queensland town of Innisfail.

Weeks after the reward was announced, Singh was arrested in New Delhi, then extradited to Australia and charged with murder in March 2023.

Singh had earlier waived his right to challenge the extradition order, telling AAP in New Delhi: “I want to go back. It is the [Indian] judicial system that has been holding things up.”

“I did not kill the woman,” he said, adding he wanted to “reveal all the details” to an Australian court.

Queensland Police later confirmed the $1 million reward had been paid to a number of people.

“We appreciate the significant public interest in this matter, however, information provided on the process is limited as it is obtained on a confidential basis.

“As such we will not reveal specifics of the reward only to advise it has been paid in full to a number of claimants.”

AAP

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