Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline Where Victim Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded coastline in Far North Queensland back in 2018.

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Beach

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Location Details

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Trial

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

He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

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

State Argument

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

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

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 secured 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 evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

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

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.

Defense Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" 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 assailants attack 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 investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her body were discovered.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Katie James
Katie James

A passionate writer and tech enthusiast sharing insights on innovation and everyday life.