Jury in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.
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 spouse, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the location 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 departed the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has claimed.
Defense Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.
The trial was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.
Photographs showing the witness on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
