Jury in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote beach in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has been told.

Her body were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Details

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the victim's car had been left.

The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Background of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve testimony that DNA recovered from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.

Defence Position

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.

The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Chad Hall
Chad Hall

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