Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near 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 absent.
Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defence Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault 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 individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.
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 involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.