"Rot In Hell, You Bas****": Indian-Origin Nurse Convicted For 2018 Murder

Cairns, Australia – Rajwinder Singh, a 41-year-old former nurse of Indian origin, has been convicted of the 2018 murder of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley. The verdict came seven years after Cordingley's body was discovered on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, in far-north Queensland. The jury reached a unanimous decision at Cairns' Supreme Court.

Cordingley was found half-buried in sand dunes on October 22, 2018, a day after she was reported missing after going for a walk with her dog. Her dog, Indie, was found alive, tied to a nearby tree.

Singh was charged with fatally stabbing Cordingley in March 2023. He pleaded not guilty, and his first trial ended in a hung jury nine months prior to this recent verdict. Following the murder, Singh fled to India, leaving behind his wife and children.

The Queensland government offered a $1 million reward in late 2022 for information leading to Singh's arrest. Weeks later, he was apprehended in New Delhi and extradited to Australia.

Outside the court, Cordingley's mother, Vanessa Gardiner, expressed the family's ongoing grief and their inability to forgive Singh. "As far as the person who committed this murder and inflicted a horrible death on our daughter, you will never be forgiven by us," she said. Gardiner also noted the lasting impact of the tragedy on her family. "This event turned our world upside down for years, and we all know a special part of our fun, tight-knit family is now gone forever," she stated.

Police described Cordingley's death as "a personal and intimate attack".

In a separate case, Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old Indian nurse, faces execution in Yemen on July 16 for the murder of a Yemeni national in 2018. Priya was convicted of murdering Talal Abdo Mahdi, her business partner, by overdose of sedatives. Reports indicate that she allegedly administered the sedatives to retrieve her passport, which Mahdi had confiscated. She was arrested while attempting to flee the country.

Priya's death sentence was upheld by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. Her family has been attempting to negotiate with the victim's family, even offering "blood money" in accordance with Sharia law, which could potentially lead to her release. Blood money involves financial compensation to the victim's family.

These cases highlight the complexities and far-reaching consequences of criminal acts involving healthcare professionals, both in Australia and internationally.