Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline Where Victim Was Found

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

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with little or no 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 murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus several alternates visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Particulars

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

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.

Context of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.

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

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

Prosecution Case

It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.

Defense Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.

The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were found.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

The case will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Belinda Velasquez
Belinda Velasquez

Elara is a passionate gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience in online slots, sharing insights and strategies to help players win big.