Mystery deepens after couple are acquitted of murdering teenage mum Amber Haigh in small Australian town

A couple have been acquitted of the murder of teenager Amber Haigh in the New South Wales region, after a judge dismissed charges that they killed the young mother to gain custody of a child.

Robert Samuel Geeves, 64, and Anne Margaret Geeves, 64, were acquitted on Monday of the murder of Mrs Haigh, who disappeared more than 20 years ago while living in their Kingsvale home.

After a nearly eight-week trial at the High Court earlier this year, Judge Julia Lonergan delivered her ruling on Monday, finding the Geeves not guilty of murdering Ms Haigh.

Mrs Haigh, aged 19, had an intellectual disability and suffered from epilepsy. She was living with the Geeves on their Kingsvale estate, near Young, when she disappeared in June 2002.

During the trial, the prosecution alleged that the couple murdered Mrs Haigh to gain custody of a young child.

Both pleaded not guilty to murder and the court was told they said they last saw Ms Haigh when they dropped her off at Campbelltown train station on June 5, 2002.

According to their version of events, they drove Mrs Haigh to the south-western suburbs of Sydney so she could then travel to western Sydney to visit her sick and dying father.

The court was told that at 8.49pm that evening a withdrawal of $500 was made from an ATM on Queen St using Ms Haigh’s card.

“The story the defendant has told about this is not necessarily improbable and is supported by other independent evidence,” Judge Lonergan said.

‘Robert and Anne were both asked a lot of questions about what happened on the trip. Their stories were consistent and consistently told.’

Judge Lonergan said the fact that Ms Haigh had taken the train to Sydney earlier did not raise suspicions.

She also said that Mr Geeves had called his boss and asked if he could start later the next day, but in the end he had taken the day off anyway.

And Judge Lonergan said this confirmed their late arrival in Kingsvale.

The prosecution alleged that the Geeveses monitored Mrs Haigh’s spending and bank card use.

However, Judge Lonergan said: ‘This is not based on the evidence.’

“I have come to the conclusion that the version given by the defendant may be true,” Judge Lonergan said.

‘Under these circumstances I must acquit.

‘For all these reasons I must acquit Robert Geeves and Anne Geeves.’

Judge Lonergan found that Mrs Haigh was dead. She had not collected her prescription for her epilepsy medication and had not visited a doctor.

However, she said it could not be determined with certainty that she was murdered by the Geeveses.

Robert Samuel Geeves stood trial in the NSW Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murder

The Geeveses reported Mrs. Haigh missing to Young police station on June 19, 2002.

Her body was never found and she never contacted her family members.

The court was told that Mr Geeves had sex with Ms Haigh in 2001.

During the trial, prosecutor Paul Kerr alleged that the couple murdered Mrs Haigh to gain custody of a child and failed to take her to the train station.

The prosecution alleged that the Geeves’ family used Mrs Haigh as a ‘surrogate’.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, Mrs. Geeves was ‘completely desperate’ to have another child. During the hearing, it emerged that she had had three miscarriages and one stillbirth.

Mrs Geeves’ lawyer, Michael King, told the court the community had long harboured suspicions about Mr Geeves.

Anne Margaret Geeves was found not guilty of murder

The defence argued that police at the time could not prove that the Geeveses had actually travelled to Campbelltown.

Furthermore, their defense pointed out that no incriminating evidence was obtained after police placed wiretaps in the Geeveses’ home and car.

Ms Haigh’s disappearance is an enduring mystery for the remote and close-knit community around Kingsvale, about two hours’ drive from Canberra.

The last confirmed sighting of the young mother was on June 2, when an inquest in 2011 concluded she was dead. However, the outcome was kept secret.