Jury in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Tours Beach Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote beach in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was located.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has heard.

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

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

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

The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Case

Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, 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 barristers and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

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

The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

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

This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, 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 testimony 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 "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.

The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Sean Franco
Sean Franco

Elara is a digital artist and educator passionate about blending traditional techniques with modern technology to inspire creativity.