Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Case Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Details
The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.
Context of the Case
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away 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 investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The court heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.
