Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered

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

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.

The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline 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 Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended 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 T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Details

The court members were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

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

The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.

Context of the Case

Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family 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 court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

It is claimed that the defendant, 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 taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has previously been told 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 defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has claimed.

Defense Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire 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 arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs showing 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 certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

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

Adam Carter
Adam Carter

Lena is a civil engineer and writer passionate about sustainable infrastructure and environmental solutions in urban settings.