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Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Inspection to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Case

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

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 assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.

But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has claimed.

Defence Stance

"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants attack 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 other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Further Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The court heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.

Photographs depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

The case will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.