Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach β a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India β abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
Those items 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 secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case β though circumstantial β was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony 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 population.
The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the incident β and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.
Defence Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror β something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence previously.
The trial heard he was an initial police suspect β and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Photographs depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.