Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found

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

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.

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

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings absent.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

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

The court has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.

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

Defense Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.

The court was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

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

Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly

Elara is an avid mountaineer and writer, sharing her passion for high-altitude expeditions and sustainable outdoor practices.