Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found

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

Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Argument

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

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

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

This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

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

Defense Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer 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 plainclothes agent he had seen assailants 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 individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence last week.

The court heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Hannah Sullivan
Hannah Sullivan

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