Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case 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 sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Location Details

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.

Background of the Case

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

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

State Argument

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

The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.

Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has argued.

Defence Position

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional 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 previously.

The trial was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.

Photographs showing the witness 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 confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

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