Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon 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 coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the beach 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 opted for a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Particulars
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene 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 claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.
The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her body were found.
Images depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.
