Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded beach in northern Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has been told.

The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the victim's car had been left.

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

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Argument

It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.

Those items were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a object at the scene 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 testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.

Defense Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were found.

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

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.

Jessica Eaton
Jessica Eaton

A mindfulness coach and writer passionate about helping others achieve mental clarity and personal fulfillment through simple, effective practices.