Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded coastline in northern Queensland in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended 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 opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Location Details

The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Background 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, three children and parents.

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

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

Prosecution Case

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

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.

Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located secured to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

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

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.

Defense Stance

"As the police were discovering 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 provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.

The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Donald Rivera
Donald Rivera

Elara is a passionate writer and lifestyle coach dedicated to sharing insights on mindful living and personal development.