Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

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

Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.

The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.

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

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Details

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

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.

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

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.

But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location 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 indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.

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

Defense Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

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

Further Testimony

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

The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were found.

Photographs depicting the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

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

Brian Buchanan
Brian Buchanan

A passionate chef and food writer with over a decade of experience in creating innovative dishes and sharing culinary stories.