Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres 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 Visit to Beach

The panel 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 tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Location Particulars

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, 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 case and no testimony was given.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.

State Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.

Defence Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who testified last week.

The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were found.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.