Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
Her body were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus several 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 defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.
The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation 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 conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defense Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The court heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
