A couple have been acquitted of murdering teenager Amber Haigh in regional New South Wales, with a judge rejecting the allegation that they killed the young mother in an attempt to take custody of a child.
Robert Samuel Geeves, 64, and Anne Margaret Geeves, 64, were found not guilty on Monday of murdering Ms Haigh, who disappeared while living at their Kingsvale property more than 20 years ago.
Following a nearly eight-week trial at the Supreme Court earlier this year, Judge Julia Lonergan handed down the verdict on Monday, finding the Geeves not guilty of murdering Ms Haigh.
Ms Haigh, 19, who had an intellectual disability and suffered from epilepsy, was living with the Geeves at their property in Kingsvale, near Young, when she disappeared in June 2002.
During the trial, the Crown Prosecution Service alleged that the couple killed Ms Haigh to gain custody of a young child.
Both have pleaded not guilty to murder and the court was told they claimed they last saw Ms Haigh when she was dropped off at Campbelltown train station on June 5, 2002.
According to their versions of events, Ms Haigh was driven to the south-western outskirts of Sydney so she could then travel to western Sydney to visit her sick and dying father.
Copy of photo of Amber Haigh (19) with her son Royce in 2002. Amber was last seen at Campbelltown train station in south-west Sydney on 05/06/2002.
The court was told a $500 withdrawal was made at 8.49pm that night from a Queen St ATM using Ms Haigh’s card.
“The account given by the defendant is not inherently implausible and is supported by other independent evidence,” Judge Lonergan said.
‘Both Robert and Anne were asked many questions about what happened during the journey. Their accounts were coherent and told in a coherent manner.’
Judge Lonergan said the fact Ms Haigh had previously taken a train to Sydney did not raise suspicions.
He also said Mr Geeves had called his boss and asked him to start later the next day before eventually taking the day off.
And Judge Lonergan said that corroborated his late arrival in Kingsvale.
The Crown Prosecution Service alleged that the Geeves controlled Ms Haigh’s spending and use of her bank card.
However, Judge Lonergan said: “This is not supported by evidence.”
“I have decided that the version given by the defendant may be true,” Judge Lonergan said.
‘Under these circumstances I must acquit.
‘For all these reasons, the verdict I must return in respect of Robert Geeves and Anne Geeves is not guilty.’
Judge Lonergan said she found Ms Haigh was dead and noted she had not filled her prescription for epilepsy medication or seen a doctor.
However, he said it could not be established beyond reasonable doubt that she was murdered by the Geeves.
Robert Samuel Geeves was tried in the Supreme Court of New South Wales after pleading not guilty to murder. Photo provided by New South Wales Police.
The Geeves reported Ms Haigh missing to Young Police Station on 19 June 2002.
Her body was never found and she never contacted her relatives.
The court was told that in 2001, Mr Geeves began having a sexual relationship with Ms Haigh.
During the trial, Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr alleged the pair had murdered Ms Haigh to gain custody of a child and had failed to take her to the train station.
The Crown Prosecution Service alleged that the Geeves used Ms Haigh as a “surrogate”.
According to the prosecution, Ms Geeves “desperately wanted” to have another child, and the court heard she had suffered three miscarriages and one stillbirth.
Ms Geeves’ lawyer, Michael King, told the court the community had long held suspicions about Mr Geeves.
Anne Margaret Geeves has been found not guilty of murder. Photo provided by New South Wales Police.
The defence argued that police at the time could not disprove that the Geeves made the trip to Campbelltown.
His defense also noted that no incriminating evidence was obtained after police placed listening devices inside the Geeves’ home and car.
Ms Haigh’s disappearance has been a persistent mystery for the remote, close-knit community around Kingsvale, about two hours’ drive from Canberra.
The last confirmed sighting of the young mother was on June 2, and a coroner’s inquest in 2011 concluded she was dead, although the finding was left open.