Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote coastline in northern Queensland back in 2018.

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

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline 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 northern Australia.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Scene Particulars

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

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.

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

Prosecution Case

It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

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

This will involve evidence that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

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

Photographs depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Jorge Kennedy
Jorge Kennedy

A passionate gamer and content creator with years of experience in strategy guides and loot optimization.