Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote coastline in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.

Her body were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Visit to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors attended the beach 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 T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Location Details

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

The weapon was ever recovered, and no one 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 DNA recovered from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member 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 travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.

Defense Stance

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

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony 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 fled in terror – 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 police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.

The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her remains were found.

Images depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.

Rachel Wood
Rachel Wood

A freelance writer and avid traveler who documents unique experiences and hidden gems from around the world.