Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Case Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a tree hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is has not 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 unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified last week.
The trial was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.