Jury in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded coastline in northern Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was located.

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

Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

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

Background of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.

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

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

State Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those objects were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times 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 phone departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.

The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.

Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Jessica Smith
Jessica Smith

A passionate writer and lifestyle enthusiast with a knack for discovering unique stories and trends.