Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near 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 removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified last week.
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 girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her remains were found.
Images depicting the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented 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 resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.
