Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Case Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering 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 attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the vehicle had been left.
The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.
Defence Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, 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 father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.
Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.