Jury in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found

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

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.

Her body were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Jury Visit to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.

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

Context of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

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

State Argument

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community 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 missing.

Those items were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

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

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

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

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Stance

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The court heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Images showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Peter Martinez
Peter Martinez

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