The defence lawyer for Rajwinder Singh, the man accused of murdering Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley in 2018, has told a jury the prosecution's case relies on evidence that is illogical and inconsistent. In his closing address at the Supreme Court in Cairns, barrister Greg McGuire KC argued that prosecutors have targeted the wrong person and that the evidence does not support a conviction.
Mr McGuire highlighted several gaps in the Crown's case, including the absence of his client's DNA on the dog lead or collar of Ms Cordingley's pet, Indie, and on the tree where the dog was tied. He also noted that Ms Cordingley could have easily outrun the accused, whom he described as a portly man. The defence argued that a lone attacker could not have committed the crime, given the violent and frenzied nature of the killing.
The prosecution has pointed to ten pieces of evidence, including DNA on a stick at the burial site and phone movements consistent with Mr Singh's car. However, Mr McGuire said the Crown has been overly focused on incriminating details, even when they are wrong. He also challenged the narrative that Mr Singh suddenly fled the country the day after the murder, noting that his client had an unhappy arranged marriage and had previously lived apart from his family.
The trial, which has heard from over 80 witnesses over three weeks, continues with the defence's closing arguments. Mr Singh has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Toyah Cordingley, who was killed while walking her dog on Wangetti Beach in October 2018.
