Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote coastline in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object 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 stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

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

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

Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

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

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

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

This will include evidence that DNA obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

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

Defence Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, 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 later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

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

Vanessa Mack
Vanessa Mack

A seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter in today's fast-paced world.