Couple accused of murdering teen to steal baby acquitted

On a acold winter’s time successful June 2002, an intellectually disabled teenage miss disappeared from the New South Wales Riverina without a trace.

Since then, the enigma implicit what happened to Amber Haigh has captivated the immense Australian farming region, owed to a stunning allegation: that the 19-year-old was killed by the begetter of her five-month-old babe and his wife, truthful that they could instrumentality her child.

Two decades on, Robert and Anne Geeves - some 64 - were charged with her murder, but connected Monday were acquitted aft a high-profile trial.

Justice Julia Lonergan recovered that prosecutors had failed to beryllium their alleged motive, saying: "Cases are not decided connected rumour, speculation oregon suspicion."

The Geeveses are the past known radical to person seen Amber alive, and person agelong said they dropped her astatine a bid presumption 300km (186 miles) from their location successful Kingsvale - wherever the 3 had been surviving astatine the clip - truthful that she could sojourn her dying begetter connected 5 June.

Despite extended constabulary investigations, a coronial inquiry, and a million-dollar reward for information, her assemblage has ne'er been found.

The Crown relied connected witnesser grounds and documentation to enactment their mentation - that the Geeveses had “manipulated” Amber into having Robert’s baby, and past “removed” her “from the equation” erstwhile she wouldn’t relinquish custody.

The tribunal heard the mates had an big lad - who had antecedently dated Amber - but successful the aboriginal 2000s inactive “desperately” wanted different child, having endured respective miscarriages and a stillbirth.

However, the defence said the allegation they killed Amber to bargain her babe was baseless, and that the probe into the brace - who person spent 2 years successful situation awaiting proceedings - was flawed from the start.

They told the tribunal a “haze of mistrust” had clouded the section community’s presumption of the Geeveses owed to Robert’s past - which included acquittals for the execution of his ex-partner and a drawstring of intersexual offences involving 2 schoolgirls.

That past, the Geeveses lawyers said, had created a “presumption of guilt” that persisted for decades, and yet “blinded” constabulary arsenic they tried to portion unneurotic Amber’s case.

Over 9 weeks, dozens of witnesses gave grounds astir the last months of the teen's beingness – describing a “vulnerable” young pistillate who struggled to discern betwixt “love and exploitation”.

Several recalled however Amber had shared stories of maltreatment with them - including instances wherever Robert Geeves had allegedly plied her with alcohol, tied her up, and had enactment with her.

And the couple’s lad Robbie told the tribunal that his parent had referred to his ex-girlfriend arsenic a “surrogate” and that some parents had turned up astatine his location successful the dormant of nighttime to effort and unit him to judge Amber’s kid arsenic “his small brother”.

The prosecution besides tendered a written statement Amber made Robert sign, promising not to instrumentality her child, arsenic good arsenic a volition she’d created stipulating her aunt beryllium fixed custody of the babe successful the lawsuit of her death.

"There was small sign, successful the oversea of grounds successful this case, that Amber was ever shown the emotion she needed oregon deserved," Justice Lonergan said erstwhile delivering her verdict.

But she yet recovered that determination was a captious “problem” with the prosecution’s lawsuit - determination was “no satisfactory evidence” that Anne and Robert inactive held a tendency for much children erstwhile Amber became pregnant.

She criticised the accounts of prosecution witnesses, and said the probe had focussed connected "disproving the Geeveses mentation of events" alternatively than investigating the origin of Amber’s disappearance.

Looking astatine the mates arsenic they sat successful the dock, she ordered that they beryllium released from custody immediately.

As Justice Lonergan delivered the verdict, 1 subordinate of the nationalist assemblage stormed retired of the courtroom to scream. Amber’s relatives, too, were visibly shaken, with immoderate aboriginal softly breaking down successful tears extracurricular court.