Rajwinder Singh, who brutally ended Toyah Cordingley’s life on a secluded beach, fled the scene “like a gutless coward,” leaving a trail of grief and unanswered questions in his wake.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Singh vanished, eluding authorities while Cordingley’s devastated family searched tirelessly for justice and closure.

His abrupt disappearance left his own family in shock and confusion. Singh’s wife, three children, and parents found themselves abandoned without explanation as he hastily left Australia, shortly after Cordingley’s body was discovered.

After seven long years of evasion and mystery, justice was finally served. Singh, now 41, has been handed a life sentence for his heinous crime, which has been described as a “shocking and sickening act of violence.”

Singh will be eligible for parole only after serving a minimum of 25 years behind bars, marking a significant moment of accountability for the anguish he caused.

He must serve a non-parole period of 25 years.

Cordingley, 24, drove to Wangetti Beach to walk her dog on October 21, 2018.

Singh had also ventured to the beach, about 40 kilometres north of Cairns.

“You and Ms Cordingley were strangers. You’d never met her before. You did not know her,” Justice Lincoln Crowley said in Cairns Supreme Court on Tuesday.

What happened next was described by Justice Crowley as an “opportunistic killing”.

Singh’s motive remains unknown but Justice Crowley offered an explanation for the “extremely violent and incomprehensible” offending.

“Given the vicious attack that transpired, it is quite possible that she discovered you there, engaged in some type of disgraceful, embarrassing activity at a secluded spot where your true self could emerge, uninhibited,” he said.

Singh repeatedly stabbed Cordingley, slashing her throat.

“Toyah fought back and fought for her life,” Justice Crowley said.

“But it was not an easy fight, borne out by the numerous defensive wounds she sustained to her fingers, hands and forearm.”

Cordingley’s family raised the alarm when the “vibrant, outgoing, beautiful” 24-year-old failed to return from her walk.

The next morning she was discovered by her father half-buried in Wangetti Beach’s sand dunes.

Her beloved dog Indie was found alive nearby, tied tightly to a tree.

Singh had taken Cordingley’s possessions and likely threw them away as he drove back to his Innisfail home, about 120 kilometres south of the beach.

The following day he booked the next flight to India, the country of his birth, leaving behind his family.

“You took flight like a gutless coward,” Justice Crowley said.

“You left without even saying a proper goodbye to your wife, your parents, your children, demonstrating that your only concern was to save your own skin.

“Your conduct offers some insight into the selfish and heartless individual you truly are.”

Cordingley’s death rocked the far north community, sparking online tributes for the “gentle, humble and loving” organic food store worker and animal shelter volunteer.

About 350 people packed a small chapel in the Cairns suburb of Manunda for her funeral.

A record $1 million reward was offered by Queensland Police in late 2022 for information leading to the location and arrest of runaway suspect Singh.

He was arrested in New Delhi weeks later, then extradited to Australia and charged with murder in March 2023.

Queensland Police later confirmed the $1 million reward had been paid to a number of people.

A jury reached a guilty verdict at Singh’s retrial on Monday after about seven hours of deliberating.

Singh’s first trial ended in a hung jury eight months ago.

He was sentenced on Tuesday after heartbreaking victim impact statements from Cordingley’s family were read in court.

“You had your head down Mr Singh but I hope you listened and understand the depths of their pain and loss that you’ve caused them,” Justice Crowley said.

“You have left a void in their lives that can never be filled.”