Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded beach in northern Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was located.

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

Her body were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

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

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and relatives.

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

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with barristers and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres 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 indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.

Defense Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled 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 suspicion.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Paul Miller
Paul Miller

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