Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has been told.

Her body were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch 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 Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Scene Details

The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.

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

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

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

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

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

Defense Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "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 previously.

The court heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were found.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.