Arabic version: راجويندر سينغ يستأنف إدانته بقتل توياه كوردينغلي

According to ABC News, Rajwinder Singh’s appeal against his conviction and sentence for the murder of Toyah Cordingley has been heard by the Brisbane Supreme Court. A jury found the Innisfail nurse guilty in December last year after a four-week trial in Cairns. He received life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 25 years.

Cordingley, 24, was stabbed and had her throat cut while walking her dog at Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, on October 21, 2018. Singh’s counsel, Saul Holt KC, told the court the appeal raised several issues from the trial, including the decision by Justice Lincoln Crowley to discharge a juror part-way through proceedings.

The court heard that, 12 days into the trial, Justice Crowley received a note from a juror alleging that juror 5 was conducting an independent investigation and was biased against police. Holt argued the judge dismissed juror 5 without further investigation into what prompted the note. He said an inquiry could have established whether material not presented in court had entered the jury room, and whether the allegations against the juror could be tested.

Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions Todd Fuller KC said the note’s contents were read to the other jurors, who raised no complaints or issues. He argued that further inquiry could have compromised jury independence and said there was no irregularity in the judge acting on the note. Singh’s defence also challenged jurors separating into small groups during a visit to Wangetti Beach and described his extended non-parole period as manifestly excessive. The three appeal court justices will consider their verdict, which could take several weeks.