Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Visits Beach Where Victim Was Found

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

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times 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 next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Jury Visit to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Scene Particulars

The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court 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 belonging to the defendant.

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

Defence Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.

The trial heard 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 girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs depicting the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.

Scott Johnson
Scott Johnson

A passionate hiker and travel writer sharing adventures from the Bologna Mountains and beyond.