🔗 Share this article

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Visit to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

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

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.

Background of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.

He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.

State Argument

It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those objects were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

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

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

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.

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

Defense Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.

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 girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.

Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend 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 trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.