Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Case Tours Beach Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded coastline in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.

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

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

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer 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 a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Details

The court members were led around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.

Context of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.

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

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

State Case

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

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.

Those objects were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a post concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.

The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.

But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

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

Defence Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, 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 father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.

Photographs showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

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

Shane Gonzalez
Shane Gonzalez

A passionate gamer and strategy expert, Lena shares her insights to help players excel in competitive mobile gaming.

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