Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.
The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.
The trial heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were found.
Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
