Toyah Cordingley: Indian suspect in beach murder says he’s willing to return to Australia to face trial

‘I did not kill the woman,’ Rajwinder Singh says as he waives right to challenge extradition

Delhi Police Special Cell officers escort Rajwinder Singh to Patiala court after being arrested in relation to the 2018 murder of Australian national Toyah Cordingley (AFP via Getty Images)

The Indian man accused of murdering an Australian woman on a Queensland beach four years ago has said he is willing to return to Australia to face a trial.

Rajwinder Singh, 38, entered a “willingness statement” at a Delhi court to formally waive his right to challenge extradition to Australia, a development hailed as a milestone decision for the family of the victim.

Mr Singh was wanted in the murder of Toyah Cordingley, 24, who was found dead on Wangetti Beach of Queensland state on 22 October 2018 after what has been described as a “frenzied and brutal and sadistic” attack.

Mr Singh, who travelled to India days after Cordingley’s murder, formally expressed his consent to be extradited to Australia on Saturday.

He also claimed that he did not kill Cordingley and called himself an eyewitness to the crime in what are his first public statements since the incident.

Mr Singh said he has a “message to Australians”.

Vanessa Gardiner, mother of Toyah Cordingley, whose body was found on Wangetti Beach of Australia's Queensland (AP)

“I want to go back,” Mr Singh said. “It is the [Indian] judicial system that has been holding things up.”

Mr Singh, who was accompanied by his father and mother at the hearing, added: “I did not kill the woman.”

He said he wanted to “reveal all the details” to an Australian court following his return.

When he was asked by reporters why he seemingly fled to India soon after Cordingley’s death in 2018, Mr Singh said he would explain the details during the trial but added that: “There were two killers and two victims.”

Mr Singh was arrested last month, the same month as the Queensland government offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his location and arrest.

It was the biggest reward offered in the state’s history to date .

Queensland’s police minister Mark Ryan welcomed the development, saying his willingness statements will avoid a legal battle over his extradition which could have dragged on for years in India’s overburdened judiciary system.

“The process around delivering justice for Toyah is reaching a particular milestone, and I’m looking forward to seeing those proper processes continue,” he told reporters on Monday.

“Obviously we’ve got to be careful about what we say publicly, but we’re very hopeful that the processes and the work done today will deliver the outcome that the community wants to see.”

Mr Singh is due to face a Delhi magistrate again on Tuesday where they will consider Mr Singh’s request to return to Australia.