Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.
The trial heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.
