Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has heard.
Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach β a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations 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 jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India β leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a post hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case β though indirect β was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing β and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has claimed.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, 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 testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear β 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.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence previously.
The court heard he was an initial police suspect β and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
