Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote coastline in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has heard.

The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Visit to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other personnel 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 altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.

Defense Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – 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 investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.

The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her body were found.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.

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

Katherine Mcintosh
Katherine Mcintosh

Elara is a seasoned journalist with over a decade of experience in international reporting and storytelling.