Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended 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 T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The jurors were guided around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Trial
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – 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 guilt, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, 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 been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
