Jury in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found

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

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.

The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline 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 Visit to Beach

The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Scene Particulars

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.

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

State Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.

Those objects were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a post concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

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

This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.

Defense Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence last week.

The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

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

Phillip Miller
Phillip Miller

Anja ist eine leidenschaftliche Autorin, die sich auf persönliche Entwicklung und Alltagsgeschichten spezialisiert hat.