🔗 Share this article

Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.

Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Particulars

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

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

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

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

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.

Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.

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

Defense Stance

"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defense is yet to 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 wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.

The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich 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 confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

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