Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded coastline in Far North Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next 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 northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Details

The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Context of the Case

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.

Court officials at the beach
The judge with barristers and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.

Those items were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised proof 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 come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.

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

Defense Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault 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 individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.

The court heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Alexis Lee
Alexis Lee

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