🔗 Share this article

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.

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

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Beach

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

In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Scene Details

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

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Case

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.

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

State Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.

The court heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her body were found.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented 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 return to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.