Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a remote beach in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Particulars

The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Case

Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.

He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state said.

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

Prosecution Argument

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

The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has claimed.

Defence Stance

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

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed 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 give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

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

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

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

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

Richard Gill
Richard Gill

Elara Vance is a space technology journalist with a passion for exploring the frontiers of science and innovation.