Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Case Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found

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

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering 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 several alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been parked.

The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Case

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.

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

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

Prosecution Case

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those objects were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors contend.

Her pet, 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 grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include 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 public.

The jury has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.

Defense Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location 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 witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" 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 previously.

The trial heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her remains were found.

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

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

Jack Newman
Jack Newman

Elara is a seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting strategies and odds analysis.