Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Found
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
Her body were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
State Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defence Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.
The court heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.