Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.
The remains were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates 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 traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Case
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault 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 other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.
The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated 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 presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.
