Rajwinder Singh has been sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 25 years for the murder of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley on a beach north of Cairns in 2018. The sentencing judge described the crime as “shocking, sickening and depraved”.
Cordingley was walking her dog, Indi, at Wangetti Beach on 21 October 2018 when she was attacked. Her father, Troy, found her partially buried body later that day. The murder deeply shocked the local community, which had seen Cordingley as a familiar figure volunteering at an animal refuge and working at a health food store.
Gabrielle Gleeson, co-founder of a dog foster care charity, said the case shattered a sense of everyday safety. “She could have been any of our volunteers,” she said. The community launched a grassroots campaign, including bumper stickers with Cordingley’s name and sunflowers, which were distributed widely across the country.
Singh was extradited from India after a $1 million reward was offered. His first trial ended with a hung jury, but a second trial resulted in a guilty verdict. Troy Cordingley said the sentence was “a form of justice” but would not bring his daughter back.
