Jury in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Victim Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

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

The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended 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 casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location 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 traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.

Context of the Case

Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.

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

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

Prosecution Case

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

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found secured to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has claimed.

Defense Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – 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 suspicion.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence previously.

The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.

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

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.

Benjamin Floyd
Benjamin Floyd

A passionate DIY enthusiast and home renovation expert with over a decade of experience in sustainable building practices.