Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline Where Victim Was Found

Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Scene Particulars

The jurors 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 red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.

Prosecution Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

Those objects were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

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

This will include evidence that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defense Stance

"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who testified last week.

The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.

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

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.