Jury in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Case Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded coastline in Far North Queensland in 2018.

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

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Scene Details

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

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

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

Background of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

State Case

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.

Those items were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has already heard evidence suggesting 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 guilt, the state has claimed.

Defence Stance

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

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The court heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

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

Bryan Wilson
Bryan Wilson

Award-winning photographer and educator passionate about helping others find beauty through the lens.