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

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

Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Visit to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Details

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was found, and no one have been found.

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

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

Defence Stance

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

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

He also hinted at testimony 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 fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified last week.

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

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

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

Robin Singh
Robin Singh

A professional poker player and coach with over a decade of experience in tournaments and cash games.