Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded beach in northern Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Inspection to Beach

The panel of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Location Details

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the vehicle had been left.

The trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.

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.

Prosecution Case

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

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

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.

Defense Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed 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 opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

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

The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.

James Ward
James Ward

Astrophysicist and science communicator passionate about unraveling the mysteries of the universe through accessible writing.