Barrister Angus Edwards KC grills Marco Heidenreich, Joel Cuman over events on day of Toyah Cordingley’s alleged murder at pre-trial hearing

Toyah Cordingley’s boyfriend has had his alibi rigorously tested by high profile defence barrister Angus Edwards KC for the afternoon Toyah was allegedly murdered.

Toyah Cordingley’s boyfriend has had his alibi rigorously tested by high profile defence barrister Angus Edwards KC for the afternoon Toyah was allegedly murdered.

More than 10 witnesses were cross-examined by Mr Edwards and co-counsel Brydie Bilic during a two-day pre-trial hearing for Rajwinder Singh, 39, who is charged with murdering the 24-year-old Cairns woman at Wangetti Beach, 30km north of Cairns, on Sunday, October 21, 2018.

Toyah’s boyfriend Marco Heidenreich previously told the court he went from their shared Woree home to Port Douglas about 2pm, picked up his friend Joel Cuman, and they hiked to Spring Creek Falls at Mowbray, 60km north of Cairns.

Mr Cuman took eight photographs during the hike, including pictures of Mr Heidenreich with his dog Jersey, who vanished in the scrubland.

That meant Mr Heidenreich and Mr Cuman searched for Jersey until after dark, when they went to the homes of two nearby friends and borrowed torches to continue searching, with Mr Heidenreich alarmed to see Toyah’s car still at the Wangetti Beach car park when he drove back south at 9.30pm, the court was told.

Former boyfriend of Toyah Cordingley Marco Heidenreich (left) and friend Joel Cuman leave the Cairns Supreme Court on the first day of the pre-trial hearing for Rajwinder Singh, who is charged with the murder of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley on Wangetti Beach on October 21, 2018. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Angus grilled Mr Cuman about the trip to Spring Creek Falls, and took him to task saying he hadn’t mentioned to police that he had returned to Spring Creek Falls on October 23 and retrieved Jersey.

He asked both Mr Heidenreich and Mr Cuman about a particular image depicting Mr Heidenreich walking in what he said was a dry river bed with his dog.

Mr Edwards asked Mr Cuman if he was aware the metadata of mobile phone images – the date, time, and location – could be altered.

Mr Cuman said he wasn’t aware of that.

Cairns Supreme Court heard on April 29 that Toyah Cordingley's boyfriend Marco Heidenreich and his friend Joel Cuman hiked Fairy Creek Falls at Mowbray. Picture: Supplied

He was asked if he had changed the metadata, and said he hadn’t.

“Is it not the case you went alone to Spring Creek Falls and Marco went somewhere else,” Mr Edwards asked.

“No,” Mr Cuman said.

Mr Cuman agreed he knew police were interested in Mr Heidenreich’s movements at that time.

Mr Edwards said despite this, he did not mention the photographs in his statement to police on October 23.

“I did remember them the next day and I mentioned them,” Mr Cuman said.

The court heard he sent the images to a police officer via text.

Tyson Bryan Anthony Franklin, who has a conviction for possessing child exploitation material, told Cairns Supreme Court he had ‘a strong connection’ with Toyah and admitted being intimate with her a week before her alleged murder at Wangetti Beach in October 2019.

Mr Edwards asked if he gave his police statement before or after he went back to Spring Creek Falls on October 23 and Mr Cuman said he could not recall.

Mr Edwards asked what Mr Heidenreich’s demeanour was about the missing dog.

“He seemed upset, yes,” Mr Cuman said.

“What way did that upset express itself,” Mr Edwards asked.

“He was upset, and additionally, he couldn’t get hold of Toyah, which was stressing him the hell out,” Mr Cuman said.

A man described to the court as a very close friend of Toyah, Rick De Jong, agreed in his last conversations with Toyah she was exploring the idea of living alone.

He agreed with Mr Edwards it was true he had the impression “the grand concept was that she would break up with Marco and live by herself”.

“Even though she didn’t say those words,” Mr Edwards said.

Cairns Supreme Court heard evidence that Toyah Cordingley, 24, returned from Rusty’s Markets to her Cairns home at midday on Sunday October 21, 2018, before taking her dog to Wangetti Beach at about 1.30pm. She would never return. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Yes,” Mr De Jong said.

The court previously heard Toyah met podiatrist Tyson Franklin on October 4 and the pair were intimate after a hiking trip on October 14, texting frequently and late into the night, and Mr Franklin told the court Toyah had agreed to pick him up from the airport on October 21 at 7pm.

Toyah texted Mr Heidenreich at 3.17pm that day and said she was “going to pick Tyson up” and Mr Heidenreich had no idea who “Tyson” was.

Toyah’s friend Claudia Kelly gave evidence Toyah told her in a telephone call she had a new friend and he was a podiatrist but she would not have shared more personal detail in a text, it would have been in an in person conversation.

“It wouldn’t be something she would just randomly text,” Ms Kelly said.

She said Toyah was usually home between 4pm and 5pm, feeding her animals and beginning to prepare dinner.

In a text on October 18, Toyah told Mr Franklin “when my partner got home, he said I seemed different and asked if I was still happy, he said he was scared of losing me and me being with someone else … so in that sense him an I have a connection, he is a good person, I wasn’t telling the truth, he sensed the change in me,” the court heard.

Neither Mr Heidenreich, Mr Franklin, nor Mr Cuman have been charged with any wrongdoing in relation to Toyah’s death.

Mr Singh has not entered a plea.

Originally published as Barrister Angus Edwards KC grills Marco Heidenreich, Joel Cuman over events on day of Toyah Cordingley’s alleged murder at pre-trial hearing