Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded beach in Far North Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.

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

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

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Details

The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state 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 the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those items were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

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

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence 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 testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

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

Defense Position

"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 opened his case.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

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

The trial was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Emily Davis
Emily Davis

Lena is a passionate writer and tech enthusiast with a background in digital media, sharing her expertise to help readers navigate daily challenges.