Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found

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

Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.

Her body were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.

Background of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.

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

State Case

It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those objects were removed 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 post concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was found, and no one have been found.

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.

Defense Stance

"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The court 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.

Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.

Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee

Seasoned casino strategist with over a decade of experience in roulette and gaming analysis.