Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Visits Beach Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded coastline in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Beach

The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Details

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Case

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

The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.

Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

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

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

But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The jury has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

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

Defense Stance

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

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 fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

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

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

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Holly Barton
Holly Barton

A passionate writer and tech enthusiast sharing insights on innovation and self-improvement.