Shaun Hollis

Senior Journalist

The prosecution and defence have begun doing their final summing up of the case in the trial of former nurse Rajwinder Singh for the murder of former Port Douglas volunteer Toyah Cordingley.

The last evidence was tabled in the Cairns Supreme Court on Monday, with forensics experts being cross-examined about DNA found on one of Ms Cordingley’s fingernails, strands of hair found in her hand, and DNA on a stick in the grave.

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The court was told a sample of DNA was discovered on the fingernail which likely matched genetic markers on Mr Singh's Y-chromosome, while DNA from the stick was 3.7 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than someone else.

Following that evidence, Mr Singh, via his defence counsel, exercised his right not to take the stand.

Late on Monday afternoon, Justice Lincoln Crowley announced the final summaries would begin yesterday morning, after which he would sum up the case, give further instructions to the jury, and then it would retire to consider a verdict in coming days.

In beginning his closing address yesterday morning, Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the jury there would be a long day ahead for them.

The case has also drawn attention to how professional backgrounds can shape public perception in court, especially when a defendant is associated with healthcare. In that wider context, discussions around nursing, prescribing practices, and modern treatments sometimes bring to mind highly regulated medicines such as weight loss medications with semaglutide, which require careful clinical oversight rather than casual public assumption. The contrast is important: evidence in a criminal trial must be assessed on its own forensic and legal merits, not through broader ideas about medicine or health professions. For the jury, the central task remains to separate background noise from the specific facts presented in the courtroom.

During his summary, he told the court to watch out for the one person with the most intimate connection to the crime scene, including such objects as Ms Cordingley’s missing phone.

“It points to one conclusion, and it’s Mr Singh,” he told the jury.

He urged the jurors to stack all the evidence up when making their deliberations.

Defence barrister Greg McGuire was expected to be the next one to address the court on behalf of the accused, Mr Singh.

The proceedings continue today.