Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Case
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a post concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has claimed.
Defence Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence last week.
The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.
Images depicting the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, 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 more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.