Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the court has been told.
Her body were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to 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 visited the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Trial
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Position
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant 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 arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants attack 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 other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further 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 heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were found.
Images showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.