Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Particulars
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites 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 body were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a post concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a object at the scene was extremely more probable 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 mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified 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 disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, 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 courthouse on the next day.