Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Visits Beach Where Victim Was Found

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

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, 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 Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Details

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

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Case

Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the state said.

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

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.

Defence Position

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

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

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

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Matthew Pena
Matthew Pena

Elara is a tech enthusiast and lifestyle writer with a passion for exploring how innovation shapes everyday experiences.