Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
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 stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline 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.
Jury Visit to Beach
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, 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 guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Trial
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located secured to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defense Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.
The trial heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her body were found.
Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.