Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Case Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote beach in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.

Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Scene Details

The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.

Background of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
The judge with barristers and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Case

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men attack 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 individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence last week.

The court heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.

Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Tina Cox
Tina Cox

A seasoned gaming journalist with a passion for slot machines and casino trends, dedicated to providing honest reviews and expert advice.