Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Location Details
The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day 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 apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve testimony that DNA recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to 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 "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.
