🔗 Share this article

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.

Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

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

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Details

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.

The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.

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

Prosecution Argument

It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse 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 objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located secured to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Stance

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

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

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

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

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

The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.

Photographs depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.