A 38-year-old man has been extradited to Australia this week amid investigations into the 2018 death of a 24-year-old woman in Far North Queensland. The man was originally taken to Melbourne from India before landing in Cairns yesterday afternoon. He has since been charged with murder.
The context
Rajwinder Singh has been charged with the murder of Toyah Cordingley, a 24-year-old woman who was found dead in October 2018 at a beach north of Cairns. Cordingley was walking her dog on the beach, and was reported missing later that day after not returning home. Her body was found by her father the following morning, and was reported to have shown signs of injury and violence.
Singh was working as a local nurse at the time, and was identified as a suspect by police during a homicide investigation. He left Australia without explanation shortly after Cordingley’s body was found.
The extradition
After receiving approval from the Indian Government, police detectives travelled to New Delhi last week to bring Singh to Australia. This came after Queensland Police last year announced a $1 million reward for information – the largest in its history – related to Cordingley’s murder. Singh arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday before being taken to Queensland. He faced Cairns Magistrates Court via video link today.
Singh consented to his extradition in January, and has maintained his innocence.
