Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Case Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy resting place 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 section of coastline 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.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Location Details

The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.

The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.

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

Prosecution Case

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

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

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

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

The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.

Defence Position

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently 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."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to 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 specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

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