Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Beach
The panel of 10 men and two women plus several alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
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 prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Case
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 victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a post concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.
The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were found.
Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date 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 trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.
