Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.
Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Context of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is alleged 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 found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
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 walk, was found secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.
Defence Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.
The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
