🔗 Share this article Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered The body of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a remote coastline in Far North Queensland back in 2018. Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was discovered. The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has been told. The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas. The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland. Court Inspection to Crime Scene The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland. In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes. Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps. Location Particulars 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 arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked. The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given. Background of the Case Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives. He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said. The judge with barristers and other personnel at Wangetti Beach. State Case It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley. The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing. Those objects were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors allege. Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave. The weapon was found, and no one have been found. But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects." This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public. The jury has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant. Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued. Defence Stance "As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case. The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment." He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error." The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion. Additional Evidence Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified last week. The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered. Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert 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.