Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.
Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The court has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has claimed.
Defence Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled 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.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities 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 partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.
