Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.
Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Location Details
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were found.
Images showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
