Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered

Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.

Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus three 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 tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

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

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

Background of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

State Argument

It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include evidence that DNA recovered from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has already heard evidence 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 suggested his involvement, the state has argued.

Defence Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men 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 "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.

The court 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 girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were found.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

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