Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote beach in Far North Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was located.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.

Context of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with barristers and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.

But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.

Defence Position

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen 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 other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.

The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Jose Hurst
Jose Hurst

Elara is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, bringing years of experience in digital media and reporting.