Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with little or no 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 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.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Case
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve 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 public.
The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client 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 apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.
The court heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, even before her body were found.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
