Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.
The remains were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the tourist centres 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.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several markers showed where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Case
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Stance
"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 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 testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified last week.
The court heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were found.
Photographs showing the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
