Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.
The remains were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates visited the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.
Context of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged 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 discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.
Those objects were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve evidence that genetic material recovered from a object at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched 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 claimed.
Defense Position
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "calm" 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 told an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.