Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Tours Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered

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

Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next 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 weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Visit to Beach

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

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Details

The court members 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 markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.

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

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

Prosecution Argument

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

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

Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.

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

This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has argued.

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – 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.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence last week.

The court heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Photographs depicting the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Mark Stephens
Mark Stephens

A passionate artist and curator with a background in fine arts, dedicated to sharing innovative creative insights and fostering artistic communities.