Jury in High-Profile Australian Murder Case Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered

Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to 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 defence barristers selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Details

The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

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

The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Case

Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the state said.

Prosecution Argument

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

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

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

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

Defence Stance

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

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.

The trial was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.