Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section 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 Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Details

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind 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 the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a post concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The court has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo 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 discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The trial heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were found.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

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