Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Found

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

Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Scene Details

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was presented.

Context of the Case

Previously, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the state said.

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

State Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has claimed.

Defense Stance

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

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

Additional Testimony

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

The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were found.

Images showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.

Kaitlin Walls
Kaitlin Walls

A financial strategist and lifestyle enthusiast sharing insights on wealth building and luxury experiences.