Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a sandy resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court 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, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those items were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found secured to a post hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution 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 random member of the public.
The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defence Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.
The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.
Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.