![\"Toyah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/toyah-cordingley-WXK3JH3DNNG2DM7QOWIIF3GZBM.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAfter fatally stabbing Toyah Cordingley on an isolated beach, Rajwinder Singh ran away “like a gutless coward”.<\/p>\n
The former nurse spent years in hiding as Cordingley’s heartbroken family desperately sought answers.<\/p>\n
Even Singh’s family were left in the dark.<\/p>\n
His wife, three kids and parents did not receive a proper goodbye when Singh flew out of Australia soon after Cordingley’s body was found.<\/p>\n
Seven years after the grisly discovery in far north Queensland, Singh, 41, received a life sentence for his “shocking and sickening act of violence”.<\/p>\n
He must serve a non-parole period of 25 years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Toyah Cordingley. (Source: Facebook) (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n
Cordingley, 24, drove to Wangetti Beach to walk her dog on October 21, 2018.<\/p>\n
Singh had also ventured to the beach, about 40km north of Cairns.<\/p>\n
“You and Cordingley were strangers. You’d never met her before. You did not know her,” Justice Lincoln Crowley said in Cairns Supreme Court on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
What happened next was described by Justice Crowley as an “opportunistic killing”.<\/p>\n
Singh’s motive remains unknown but Justice Crowley offered an explanation for the “extremely violent and incomprehensible” offending.<\/p>\n
“Given the vicious attack that transpired, it is quite possible that she discovered you there, engaged in some type of disgraceful, embarrassing activity at a secluded spot where your true self could emerge, uninhibited,” he said.<\/p>\n
Singh repeatedly stabbed Cordingley, slashing her throat.<\/p>\n
“Toyah fought back and fought for her life,” Justice Crowley said.<\/p>\n
“But it was not an easy fight, borne out by the numerous defensive wounds she sustained to her fingers, hands and forearm.”<\/p>\n
Cordingley’s family raised the alarm when the “vibrant, outgoing, beautiful” 24-year-old failed to return from her walk.<\/p>\n
The next morning she was discovered by her father half-buried in Wangetti Beach’s sand dunes.<\/p>\n
Her beloved dog Indie was found alive nearby, tied tightly to a tree.<\/p>\n
Singh had taken Cordingley’s possessions and likely threw them away as he drove back to his Innisfail home, about 120km south of the beach.<\/p>\n
The following day he booked the next flight to India, the country of his birth, leaving behind his family.<\/p>\n
“You took flight like a gutless coward,” Justice Crowley said.<\/p>\n
“You left without even saying a proper goodbye to your wife, your parents, your children, demonstrating that your only concern was to save your own skin.<\/p>\n
“Your conduct offers some insight into the selfish and heartless individual you truly are.”<\/p>\n
Cordingley’s death rocked the far north community, sparking online tributes for the “gentle, humble and loving” organic food store worker and animal shelter volunteer.<\/p>\n
![\"Rajwinder](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rajwinder-singh-is-accused-of-killing-24-year-old-toyah-cord-3RIMB5IBYBELLCMGYH7KAQEUKA.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Rajwinder Singh is accused of killing 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley in October 2018. (Source: Delhi Police) (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n
About 350 people packed a small chapel in the Cairns suburb of Manunda for her funeral.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He was arrested in New Delhi weeks later, then extradited to Australia and charged with murder in March 2023.<\/p>\n
Queensland Police later confirmed the $1 million reward had been paid to a number of people.<\/p>\n
A jury reached a guilty verdict at Singh’s retrial on Monday after about seven hours of deliberating.<\/p>\n
Singh’s first trial ended in a hung jury eight months ago.<\/p>\n
He was sentenced on Tuesday after heartbreaking victim impact statements from Cordingley’s family were read in court.<\/p>\n
“You had your head down Mr Singh but I hope you listened and understand the depths of their pain and loss that you’ve caused them,” Justice Crowley said.<\/p>\n
“You have left a void in their lives that can never be filled.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After fatally stabbing Toyah Cordingley on an isolated beach, Rajwinder Singh ran away “like a gutless coward”. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":175914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[85,67,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-175913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-australia","tag-crime-and-justice","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}