Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Found
Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.
Context of the Trial
Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed 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 swimwear, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away 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 boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one 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 involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were found.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
