Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline Where Victim Was Found

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

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.

Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled 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.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

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

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms 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 arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Background of the Case

Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Case

It is claimed that the defendant, 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 swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.

Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

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

Defence Position

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

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.

The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Laura Simmons
Laura Simmons

Award-winning voice artist and audio producer with over a decade of experience in broadcasting and digital media.

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