Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Tours Beach Where 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 overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, 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 tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Details

The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed 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

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.

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

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

State Case

It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed 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 informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants assault 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 other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.

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 partner's vanishing, even before her body were discovered.

Images showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.

Vincent Jackson
Vincent Jackson

Lena is a digital strategist and gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience in media innovation.