Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.

Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Scene Particulars

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several 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 official evidence was presented.

Context 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 four years later, the prosecution said.

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

State Case

It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found tied up to a post concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

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

This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location 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 "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

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

The court heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Todd Thompson
Todd Thompson

Elara is a seasoned product reviewer with a passion for testing and comparing the latest gadgets and household items.