Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline 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.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Context of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.
Defence Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – 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 investigation.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence previously.
The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich 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 certain the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
