Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

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

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations 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.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus several alternates visited the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested 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 Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those objects were removed by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a stick 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 mobile device 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 guilt, the state has argued.

Defence Position

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

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.

The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were found.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Angela Frye
Angela Frye

Elara is a passionate writer and digital storyteller with a love for poetry and nature-inspired content.