Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Case Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote beach in northern Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.

The remains were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch 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 weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

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

The trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

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

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that the defendant, 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 swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defense Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who testified last week.

The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – 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.

Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.

Daniel Vasquez
Daniel Vasquez

A passionate casino gaming expert with over a decade of experience in reviewing and strategizing for online platforms.