Jury in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Found
Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.
Her body were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that DNA obtained 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 court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.
Defense Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed 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 subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.
The court heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
