Jury in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Case Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.

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

The remains were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Location Particulars

The court members were led around 1.2km 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 victim's car had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.

Background of the Case

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives 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, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings absent.

Those objects were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

No murder weapon was found, and no one have been found.

But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

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

The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men 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 "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

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

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

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

The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Brianna Young
Brianna Young

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with years of experience in optimizing systems for peak performance.

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