Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote beach in Far North Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.

The remains were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Visit to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning 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 traditional court attire.

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

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.

Background of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.

He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives 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 victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.

Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include evidence that genetic material obtained 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 public.

The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.

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

Defense Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed 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 "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.

The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her remains were discovered.

Images depicting the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

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

Lindsey Scott MD
Lindsey Scott MD

An avid hiker and nature writer sharing trail experiences and outdoor tips to inspire exploration and conservation.