Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

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

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Scene Particulars

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

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

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

Context of the Case

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.

State Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

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

This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defense Stance

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

The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were found.

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

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