Jury in High-Profile Australian Murder Case Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed 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, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Visit to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Context of the Trial
Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.
Those objects were taken 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 post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.
The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were found.
Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.
