Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge 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 sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Particulars
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
Prosecution Case
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – 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 scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants 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 "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified last week.
The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were found.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.