Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote coastline in northern Queensland in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has heard.

The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Location Details

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was found, and no one have been found.

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.

Defense Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.

Images depicting the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez

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