Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Particulars
The jurors were guided 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 red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.
Background of the Case
Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The court heard he was an immediate police suspect – 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 went missing have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.