Jury in Prominent Australian Homicide Case Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.
Context of the Case
Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve evidence that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – 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.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.
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 girlfriend's vanishing, even before her body were discovered.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.
