Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Tours Beach At Which Victim Was Found

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

Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.

Her body were discovered by a family member the next 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 weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Details

The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Background of the Trial

Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

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

Prosecution Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence that DNA recovered from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.

Defense Position

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

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed 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 give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

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

The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Joshua Tucker
Joshua Tucker

A tech enthusiast and seasoned reviewer with a passion for testing and evaluating consumer electronics.