Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded coastline in Far North Queensland back in 2018.
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.
Context of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
The judge with barristers and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.
Prosecution Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defense Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.
The trial was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.