Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was located.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.
The remains were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.
Context of the Trial
Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one 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 evidence that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has previously been told testimony 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 argued.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, 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 testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
