Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.
The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Particulars
The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.
The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.