🔗 Share this article

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.

Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.

Background of the Case

Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

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

State Case

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 swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

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

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

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

The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

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

Defense Position

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

The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

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

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.

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

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

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.