Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote coastline in northern Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

It is claimed 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 discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions 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 walk, was found tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution 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 originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The jury has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.

Defense Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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 partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, 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 implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her body were found.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Kimberly Turner
Kimberly Turner

A passionate blogger and competition enthusiast, sharing insights and updates on online events in Nepal.