Amber Haigh: Couple accused of killing teen to steal baby acquitted

Robert and Anne Geeves were accused of killing an intellectually disabled teen to steal her baby.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersCouple accused of murdering teen to steal baby acquittedSupreme Court of New South WalesAmber Haigh, who is pictured with the father of her child Robert Geeves, disappeared in 2002On a cold winter’s day in June 2002, an intellectually disabled teenage girl disappeared from the New South Wales Riverina without a trace.

Since then, the mystery of what happened to Amber Haigh has captivated the vast Australian farming region, due to a stunning allegation: that the 19-year-old was killed by the father of her five-month-old baby and his wife, so that they could take her child.

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

Justice Julia Lonergan found that prosecutors had failed to prove their alleged motive, saying: "Cases are not decided on rumour, speculation or suspicion."

The Geeveses are the last known people to have seen Amber alive. They have long said they dropped her at a train station 300km (186 miles) from their home in Kingsvale - where the three had been living at the time - so that she could visit her dying father on 5 June.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1l44j5jzzyo

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