Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Details

The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

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

The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.

Background of the Case

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

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

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those objects were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The jury has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.

Defense Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, 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."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

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

The trial was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.

Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.

The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.

Brianna Schultz
Brianna Schultz

Rylan Vance is a passionate gamer and content creator with over a decade of experience in the esports industry, sharing insights and tips.