Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote beach in northern Queensland in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.

The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Visit to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Background of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

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

State Argument

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

The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

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

The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified last week.

The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Kelly Wilson
Kelly Wilson

Elena is a political journalist with over a decade of experience covering Westminster and European affairs, known for her incisive reporting.