In the trial of a man accused of murder that took place after a young woman was fatally stabbed on a secluded beach, a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Organic food store worker Toyah Cordingley, 24, was found buried in the sand at a beach near Cairns, in far north Queensland, on October 22, 2018. The accused, 40-year-old former hospital nurse Rajwinder Singh, from nearby Innisfail, pleaded not guilty to murder. The jury, after deliberating on graphic autopsy photos and witness testimonies from a 13-day trial at the supreme court in Cairns, failed to HReach a unanimous verdict.
Justice James Henry had previously informed the jurors that the prosecution’s case would be based on circumstantial evidence since there were no direct witnesses to the crime. Cordingley had taken her dog for a walk at Wangetti beach, an isolated spot 40 minutes north of Cairns, on October 21, 2018. Her boyfriend, Marco Heidenreich, reported her missing after finding her vehicle and failure to reach her on her phone. Cordingley’s father, Troy, discovered her body buried in a mound of sand on the beach. Her dog, Indie, was found unharmed and tied to a nearby tree.
Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane informed the jury that nobody witnessed the murder or its aftermath or saw the murderer escaping the crime scene. However, the prosecution claimed that Singh’s distinctive blue Alfa Romeo sedan could be linked to locations that Cordingley’s phone had contacted cell towers after being taken from her body.
Singh, an Indian national who had lived in Australia since 2009, left the country on the day after Cordingley’s body was discovered. He quit his job and stopped paying his mortgage, according to Crane. The jury was told he was not seen until November 2022 when he was found and extradited to Australia.
Lead defense barrister Angus Edwards argued that the jurors could not convict Singh unless they could rule out all other possible suspects. He emphasized that the trial revolved around the question of whether it was only Singh who could have committed the crime or if he was just one possibility among several.
After more than two days of deliberation, the unable to reach a unanimous verdict and was discharged on Tuesday.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/18/toyah-cordingley-murder-trial-jury-dismissed-rajwinder-singh-ntwnfb
