Couple 'murdered teenage mother so they could take her baby - then fed her body to pigs after buying a chainsaw'

An Australian mates accused of murdering their teenage lodger earlier feeding her assemblage to pigs truthful they could bargain her babe is presently facing proceedings aft they were arrested 20 years connected from nan alleged crime. 

Robert and Anne Geeves, some 64, pleaded not blameworthy to nan execution of 19-year-old Amber Haigh, who vanished from nan Geeves family successful New South Wales successful 2002.

Haigh, who was mentally impaired, was lodging pinch nan mates on pinch her then-five-month-old boy - fathered by Robert, and was past seen successful nationalist connected June 2, 2002.

The Geeves declare that connected June 5 they drove her to a train position adjacent to Sydney truthful she could sojourn her father, who was terminally sick successful hospital.

The teenage mother ne'er arrived astatine nan infirmary and was ne'er seen again. 

Her lawsuit remained acold for years until Australian constabulary arrested Mr and Mrs Geeves successful May 2022, almost precisely 2 decades later aft Haigh's disappearance. 

Now grisly specifications of nan lawsuit person emerged, pinch prosecutors alleging nan mates utilized Haigh arsenic a 'surrogate mother', earlier sidesplitting her and disposing of her assemblage by feeding her to pigs. 

Investigators besides discovered nan Geeveses had bought a chainsaw astir nan clip of Haigh's disappearance, having recovered nan butt of a cheque they utilized to salary for it. 

Haigh was reported missing connected June 19, 2002 aft failing to return to her location successful Kingsvale, adjacent to Harden successful New South Wales, wherever she and her five-month-old boy had been surviving pinch nan Geeves family.

Police were told nan brace dropped nan young mother astatine Campbelltown train position connected June 5 that she intended to recreation from location to Mt Druitt successful occidental Sydney to sojourn her sick begetter successful hospital.

A coroners inquest successful 2011 recovered Haigh died arsenic a consequence of homicide aliases different misadventure successful June 2002, and police, suspecting nan Geeves' engagement successful nan crime, installed listening devices successful their home. 

But they were ne'er capable to stitchery capable grounds to complaint nan couple.

In 2020 a general reappraisal of nan lawsuit was conducted nether nan Homicide Squad's Unsolved Homicide framework, and a caller investigation was launched, culminating successful nan apprehension of Robert and Anne Geeves successful May 2022. 

During nan trial, now successful its seventh week, nan Australian tribunal heard really Haigh 'adored' her young boy and was said to 'never fto him retired of her sight' - a characterisation that raised doubts she would time off nan babe pinch nan Geeves while she near unsocial to sojourn her father. 

Prosecutors told nan tribunal nan mates had 1 boy - who had antecedently dated Haigh - but desperately wanted different child, having fixed commencement to a stillborn babe aft enduring 3 miscarriages. 

Haigh's boy was fathered by Robert pinch whom she had a intersexual narration - but a family counsellor that met pinch Haigh months earlier her disappearance told nan tribunal she was 'a very susceptible young woman' who 'would person trouble successful knowing nan quality betwixt emotion and exploitation'.

In her customer notes turned complete to nan court, counsellor Emma Badlock revealed that Haigh profoundly loved her son, and was fearful that nan Geeves would effort to summation sole custody of him. 

'Amber states that if Anne and Robert effort to get (her child) because they want a babe - she will show them to ''back off'',' nan notes read. 

The Guardian reported that Haigh and Robert Geeves are said to person signed a handwritten statement which stipulated that Geeveses would not effort to return custody of nan child, unless Haigh were to bring nan boy into interaction pinch members of her ain family.  

Haigh had a 'dysfunctional' narration pinch her extended family, nan tribunal heard, and is said to person been subjected to unit and intersexual abuse.

Another cardinal portion of nan prosecution's statement is grounds that Mr Geeves called a slew of agrarian properties adjacent their location astir nan clip of Haigh's disappearance, asking whether he could entree their onshore to get workplace instrumentality aliases cod wood.  

'The crown lawsuit mentation is that it was ever nan volition of nan Geeves to presume nan custody and attraction of (the child) from Amber,' crown charismatic Paul Kerr told nan tribunal successful his opening.

'But they knew that to do that, Amber had to beryllium removed from nan equation… truthful – nan crown asserts – they killed her.'

The Geeveses pleaded not blameworthy to their execution charges and person consistently denied immoderate engagement successful Haigh's disappearance. 

Lawyers for nan mates meantime reason nan prosecutors' lawsuit against their clients is riddled pinch flaws, that they person nary clear grounds nan Geeveses murdered Haigh and put nan speculation complete their engagement successful her disappearance down to 'distaste' complete Robert's intersexual narration pinch 'a overmuch younger female pinch intelligence disabilities'.

'Many witnesses harboured grievances aliases suspicions peculiarly against Mr Geeves... who denies being successful immoderate measurement progressive successful (Haigh's) disappearance aliases murder,' lawyer Paul Coady told nan court.

Another personnel of nan Geeves' ineligible squad added that Anne Geeves had 'no motive to termination Amber aliases wish her dead' and dismissed nan lawsuit against them arsenic being fuelled by 'mistrust and suspicion'. 

Lawyers besides derided grounds from 1 witness, a erstwhile ineligible secretary, that claimed Haigh feared for her life and wanted to make retired a will while she was pregnant to forestall Robert from ever getting custody of nan child. 

Legal caput Rebecca Pisaturo-McMillan testified that Haigh came to ineligible offices successful August 2001, claiming she needed nan archive 'for nan safeguard of her child'.

'[Ms Haigh] was very straightforward and adamant that erstwhile her kid was calved her life would beryllium taken,' Pisaturo-McMillan told nan court.

But defence lawyer Coady retorted that nary of nan secretary's beingness notes from her gathering pinch Haigh made immoderate mention of her fearing for her life, and suggested this was because Haigh ne'er really made immoderate comments astir it. 

He went connected to declare nan ineligible caput had 'mixed up' grounds pursuing years of antagonistic property and rumours astir nan Geeves. 

Last month, nan Geeves' boy Robbie was called arsenic a witnesser by nan prosecution. 

He did not impeach his parents of sidesplitting Haigh, but said that his narration pinch them had been irrevocably damaged aft his begetter impregnated nan teenager, whom Robbie had antecedently dated.

'I don't cognize really to opportunity it successful a bully way: she was my ex-girlfriend, you can't person a babe relative to your ex-girlfriend… it's not right,' he declared.

The Geeves are facing a judge-only proceedings astatine nan petition of their ineligible team, who opportunity nan media large wind complete their alleged engagement would person affected nan assemblage fixed nan magnitude and notoriety of nan case. 

The trial, presided complete by justness Julia Lonergan, is still ongoing.