Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of 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 prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Case
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 pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The jury has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched 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 argued.
Defence Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – 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.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The trial heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
