Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the court has been told.

Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Inspection to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Location Details

The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

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

The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

State Case

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 victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not 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 "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence 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 run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

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

Additional Testimony

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 police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

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