Jury in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.

Her body 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 murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Scene Details

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

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

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

Background of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.

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

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

State Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

Those objects were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

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

Defense Stance

"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 opened his case.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.

The trial was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Photographs showing 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 authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.

Michael Patrick
Michael Patrick

Elara is a seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting strategies and statistical modeling.