🔗 Share this article

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

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal chance of survival, the court has been told.

Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled 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.

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Location Particulars

The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Context of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

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

Prosecution Case

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

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings absent.

Those objects were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

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

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

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.

The court heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were found.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.