Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased 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 multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, 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 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 alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.

Background of the Trial

Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

State Case

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

The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include evidence that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The court has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

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

Defense Stance

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

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

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

Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared 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 standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.