Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Beach Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded beach in northern Queensland in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.

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

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Scene Particulars

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

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.

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

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

Those objects were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

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

The weapon was found, and no one have been identified.

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

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

The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.

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

Defense Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack 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 "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.

The trial 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 vanishing, even before her body were discovered.

Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.

Matthew Williams
Matthew Williams

A seasoned blackjack strategist with over a decade of experience in casino gaming and player education.