In brief
In a significant development in the trial of Rajwinder Singh for the murder of Toyah Cordingley, jurors traveled to Wangetti Beach where Ms. Cordingley's body was found. The visit aimed to familiarize the jury with key locations related to the case amidst compelling evidence presented by the prosecution linking Mr. Singh to the crime. The case revolves around the victim's alleged confrontation with Mr. Singh, his subsequent departure to India, and jurors were reminded of the tropical conditions during the visit.
Jurors in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote Queensland beach where the victim was found.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and put in a shallow sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms. Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
The 24-year-old's body was discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach - a stretch of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The jury of ten men and two women plus three backup jurors attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time, as the second week of the trial got underway.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, the judge, Justice Lincoln Crowley, wore a T-shirt, sports shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes. Both the lead prosecution and defense barristers opted for polo shirts, shorts, and baseball caps.
The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms. Cordingley was discovered, with red and white cones marking where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors get familiar with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms. Cordingley's body was discovered, Mr. Singh flew from Australia to India, leaving behind his wife, three children, and parents. He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
It is alleged that Mr. Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms. Cordingley, whom prosecutor Nathan Crane described as a young woman, blonde and attractive.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing. Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the crown alleged.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms. Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found tied up to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found. But the prosecution claims there is significant circumstantial evidence pointing to Mr. Singh.
This includes DNA evidence from a stick at the scene that was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr. Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has also heard that Ms. Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing, matching the movements of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr. Singh's sudden departure from Australia following the murder has been highlighted as a critical aspect of the case.
The defense, yet to present evidence, describes Mr. Singh as a placid and caring man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is anticipated that he will assert he witnessed a different assailant.
The court will resume with more conventional proceedings in the courthouse on Tuesday.
