Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

The remains were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Location Particulars

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

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

The trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.

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

State Argument

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defense Position

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

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled 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 Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.