Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

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

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.

Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Details

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

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.

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

Prosecution Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a post concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

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

This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.

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

Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Steven Rhodes
Steven Rhodes

A seasoned traveler and writer passionate about uncovering hidden gems and sharing cultural insights from her global adventures.