Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote coastline in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has heard.

The remains were discovered by her father 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 northern Australia.

Court Visit to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Particulars

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, 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 legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised 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 originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has argued.

Defence Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence last week.

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

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

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

Charlotte Jordan
Charlotte Jordan

A seasoned real estate expert with over 15 years of experience in property investment and market analysis.