Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Scene Particulars

The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.

He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.

State Argument

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 bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

Those objects were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

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

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

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

This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

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

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged 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 opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony 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 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 investigation.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who testified last week.

The court was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.