DNA expert says DNA found on Toyah Cordingley’s bikini likely from boyfriend

Two DNA experts have given conflicting evidence in the Cairns Supreme Court pre-trial hearing for the man charged with murdering Toyah Cordingley.

An experienced DNA expert has told the Cairns Supreme Court there was a strong likelihood DNA found on Toyah Cordingley’s body and her bikini bottoms belonged to her boyfriend.

Rhys Parry, a reporting scientist at Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services DNA Analysis unit for 16 years, found little evidence of the DNA of accused murderer Rajwinder Singh on items submitted for testing, the court heard.

Mr Parry was cross-examined extensively on Monday by Angus Edwards KC, who is acting for Mr Singh.

Barrister Angus Edwards KC is representing Rajwinder Singh. Picture: Liam Kidston

Police allege Mr Singh murdered Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley when she took her dog for a walk at Wangetti Beach on the afternoon of October 21, 2018.

Mr Singh has not entered a plea.

A pre-trial hearing is under way, presided over by Justice James Henry.

Mr Edwards grilled Mr Parry at length about DNA evidence.

The court heard that swabs were taken including internally and externally from Ms Cordingley, her bikini bottoms, fingernail clippings, her headband, and at the scene.

Marco Heidenreich leaves the Cairns Supreme Court on the first day of the pre-trial hearing for Rajwinder Singh, who is accused of the murder of Toyah Cordingley, 24, on Wangetti Beach on October 21, 2018. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Parry said there was a strong likelihood DNA found on two internal swabs, external swabs, and the interior and exterior of her bikini bottoms, and the string on the bikini was that of Ms Cordingley’s boyfriend Marco Heidenreich, and the DNA of Mr Singh was either completely excluded or ruled very unlikely.

The court has previously heard Mr Heidenreich told police he last had sex with Ms Cordingley on October 17 or 18.

Mr Edwards asked if swabs had recovered more DNA than one might expect to find, four days later.

“It would support a more recent deposition,” Mr Parry said.

“Is it more consistent with a recent sexual encounter, the swab inside and outside the bikini bottoms,” Mr Edwards asked.

“Yes, definitely. That would not be an unreasonable assumption,” Mr Parry responded.

Mr Edwards asked if it was consistent with sexual intercourse within less than 24 hours.

“Potentially it is consistent,” Mr Parry said.

Toyah Cordingley, who was murdered at Wangetti Beach in October 2018. Picture: Supplied

Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane is yet to outline the case against Mr Singh.

Responding to questions from Mr Edwards, Mr Parry said on fingernail clippings, Mr Singh’s DNA was either excluded or there was a low probability it was Mr Singh’s

Evidence from the headband strongly supported that Mr Singh was not a contributor.

There was an incomplete two-person mixture DNA profile on the “sand mound” where Ms Cordingley’s body was found and it was “very unlikely” to be Mr Singh’s, the court heard.

The court heard evidence swabs were taken from four places on the dog lead and there was evidence of DNA of two or three people, including Mr Heidenreich, but results supported the exclusion of Mr Singh.

Police and SES at the crime scene at Wangetti Beach on October 22, 2018. PICTURE: ANNA ROGERS

Ms Cordingley’s dog was allegedly found by family members tied to a tree in the scrub adjoining the beach.

The court heard the shorts and t-shirt Mr Singh was allegedly wearing were tested and there was no support for a DNA contribution from Ms Cordingley.

Ms Cordingley’s DNA was not found in samples taken from Mr Singh’s car, the court heard.

Earlier, Senior Forensic Scientist at the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Jayshree Patel, told the court she was confident that eight samples analysed and found to have DNA evidence of Mr Singh were sound results.

The eight samples included a swab from the top of Ms Cordingley’s left hand, nails from both hands, a sports shoe, her left foot, and two pieces of wood at the scene.

Rajwinder Singh, 39, has been charged with the murder of Toyah Cordingley. He has not entered a plea and a trial is scheduled for Cairns Supreme Court on July 2022. Picture: Supplied

Jeremy Byers was also called to be cross-examined by Mr Edwards about mobile telephone data evidence.

Mr Heidenreich has previously told the court he received a text message from Ms Cordingley at 3.17pm that day, saying she had to pick up her friend Tyson from the airport, but he did not see the text until several hours later.

Mr Edwards has challenged Mr Heidenreich’s account that he went hiking at Mowbray that afternoon, asking his hiking buddy Joel Cuman if it was the case that Mr Cuman went to Spring Creek Falls at Mowbray, 60km north of Cairns and asking Mr Heidenreich and Mr Cuman if they changed metadata on eight photos Mr Cuman said were taken during the outing.

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

“No,” Mr Cuman said.

Cairns Supreme Court heard on April 29 that Toyah Cordingley's boyfriend Marco Heidenreich and his friend Joel Cuman hiked Fair Creek Falls at Mowbray on October 21, 2018. Picture: Supplied

Mr Edwards said Ms Cordingley sent a message to Mr Heidenreich saying “I forgot that I am picking up my friend Tyson from the airport tonight” at 3.17pm and asked if there was any way of telling if Mr Heidenreich received the message.

“It was received and sent to his phone at that time,” Mr Byers said.

“If it was in a dead spot, it would show.”

Ms Cordingley sent a subsequent message “I think it is 7pm-8pm, just so you know” with a loveheart emoji, the court heard, and Mr Byers said network data indicated it was received by Mr Heidenreich’s phone service.

Wangetti Beach north of Cairns, where Toyah Cordingley was murdered in 2018. Picture: Brendan Radke

At 7.04pm Mr Heidenreich made a call to Ms Cordingley lasting three seconds, Mr Edwards said.

“Does that suggest there was no answer, is there a way of telling,” Mr Edwards asked.

“It is consistent with that, the call was made, there is no cell tower ID, therefore it has not been answered,” he said.

Neither Mr Heidenreich or Mr Cuman have been charged in relation to Toyah’s death.

A pre-trial hearing involves the hearing of evidence from some witnesses, to allow the defence to be fairly informed about the nature of the prosecution case.

Pre-trial evidence is usually given at a committal proceeding in the Magistrates Court, but there has been no committal hearing and Mr Singh has not yet entered a plea.

His trial is scheduled for July 22.

Originally published as DNA expert says DNA found on Toyah Cordingley’s bikini likely from boyfriend