Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering 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 alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
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 items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"While authorities 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 present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.
The trial heard 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 body were discovered.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.
