Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Beach Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.

Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline 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 Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Details

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

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

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

Background of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
The judge with barristers and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

Those items 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 post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.

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

Defence Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault 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 suspicion.

Further Testimony

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

The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.

Photographs showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.

Jennifer Davis
Jennifer Davis

A passionate gamer and strategy expert, sharing insights on mobile adventures and game tactics.

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