Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered

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

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.

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

The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Details

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand 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 trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.

He was not heard from 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.

Prosecution Argument

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

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

Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a object 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 already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.

Defense Stance

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

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

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.

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

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day 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 case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.

George Schroeder
George Schroeder

A seasoned journalist passionate about uncovering stories that bridge cultures and inspire change.