Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote beach in northern Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.

Her body were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the vehicle had been left.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Background of the Case

Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.

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

Prosecution Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the scene 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 evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.

Kristina Hall
Kristina Hall

Award-winning journalist with a focus on urban affairs and community stories in Southern California.