🔗 Share this article

Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Scene Particulars

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

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.

Background of the Case

Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.

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

Prosecution 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 bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.

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 found tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

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

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

Defense Position

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

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

He also foreshadowed testimony 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 "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were found.

Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

The case will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.