Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the judge 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 chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.
Context of the Trial
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.
He was out of contact 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, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those items were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution 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 grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone 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 guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified 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 partner's vanishing, even before her body were discovered.
Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.
