Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

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

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has been told.

Her body were found 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 murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Inspection to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Details

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

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.

The trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.

Context of the Case

Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

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

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors contend.

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

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.

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

This will involve testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach 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 guilt, the prosecution has argued.

Defence Stance

"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault 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.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those 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 girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

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

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

Monica Fitzgerald
Monica Fitzgerald

A seasoned gaming enthusiast with a passion for sharing winning strategies and insights.