Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Found

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.

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

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Background of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after 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 apprehended years after, the state said.

Prosecution Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

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

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

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

Defence Position

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not 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 "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified last week.

The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

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