A former nurse who brutally murdered a 24-year-old woman by stabbing her 26 times and attempting to bury her on a beach has been sentenced after seven years. Rajwinder Singh, the perpetrator, fled to India following the savage attack on Toyah Cordingley in 2018. Singh was convicted in a trial at the Supreme Court in Cairns after a previous trial where the jury failed to reach a verdict.
Despite pleading not guilty to the murder, Singh was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict after approximately seven hours of deliberation on December 8, 2025. Cordingley, who had gone to a beach in Queensland, Australia, to walk her dog on October 21, 2018, was reported missing by her family when she did not return that evening. Her body was later discovered partially buried in the sand by her father, with her dog found unharmed nearby tied to a tree.
The autopsy revealed that Cordingley suffered at least 26 stab wounds and had her throat slashed. The brutal murder incited a strong community response, including protests against violence towards women and the public display of her name on car bumper stickers.
After fleeing to India, a $1 million AUS reward was offered by Queensland police in 2022 for information leading to Singh’s location and arrest. Eventually, Singh was extradited back to Australia to stand trial, and the reward was distributed to several individuals who aided in his capture.
Justice Lincoln Crowley sentenced Singh to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years before being eligible for parole on December 9. Cordingley’s mother, Vanessa Gardiner, expressed relief at the verdict but emphasized that it was not a cause for celebration. She stated that the family’s lives had been forever altered by the tragedy and they would always wonder about the life Toyah could have had if not for her untimely death.
Following the reading of the verdict in court, Cordingley’s father expressed his anger towards Singh, saying, “rot in hell, you bastard.” He extended gratitude to the jurors, prosecutors, and investigators, acknowledging that while the verdict provided a form of justice, true justice could never be achieved as they now live in a world without Toyah.
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