🔗 Share this article

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.

The remains were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

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

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Location Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

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

Context of the Case

Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

State Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town 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 missing.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has argued.

Defense 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 opened his case.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

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

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

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The court 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 partner's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.