Rajwinder Singh Appeals Murder Conviction in Toyah Cordingley Case

Rajwinder Singh has lodged an appeal against both his conviction and sentence for the murder of Toyah Cordingley.

In December, a Queensland Supreme Court jury found Singh, a former nurse from Innisfail, guilty of murdering the 24-year-old at Wangetti Beach on October 21, 2018. Ms Cordingley had been walking her dog when she was attacked.

During the four-week trial, the court heard Singh stabbed Ms Cordingley multiple times and cut her throat at the secluded beach north of Cairns. Prosecutors told the jury Singh fled the region the following day, abandoning his job at Innisfail Hospital before travelling to India.

Singh remained overseas for more than four years before being arrested in late 2022, just weeks after a $1 million reward was announced for information leading to his capture. He agreed to be extradited to Australia in early 2023 to face trial.

His first trial ended with a hung jury, but a second jury later returned a unanimous guilty verdict. Singh denied responsibility for the killing, claiming he witnessed masked attackers on the beach and fled Australia fearing for his own life.

Last month, Singh was sentenced to a mandatory term of life imprisonment and transferred to Wolston Correctional Centre, a high-security facility housing protection prisoners.

In sentencing, Justice Lincoln Crowley set a non-parole period of 25 years, exceeding the mandatory minimum. Taking time already served into account, Singh will be eligible to apply for parole in March 2048, when he will be 63.

Justice Crowley described Singh as a "gutless coward", saying his decision to flee showed a profound disregard for his family and the consequences of his actions.

Singh had one month from sentencing to lodge an appeal, which has now been filed.