Jury in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Case Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.
The remains were discovered 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 Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The court members were led around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Context of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a object 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 evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.
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 defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed 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 testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.
The trial heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.
Images showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.
