Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the jury has heard.
Her body were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Case
Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.
The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.
Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.
