Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
Her body were found by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach β a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
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 uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.
Context of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India β leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence β though indirect β was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing β and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defence Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror 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 Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The court heard he was an initial person of interest β and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.
Images depicting the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.