![The former boyfriend of Amber Haigh (pictured) has testified in the Wagga Supreme Court. He is the only child of the two murder accused Robert and Anne Geeves. File picture The former boyfriend of Amber Haigh (pictured) has testified in the Wagga Supreme Court. He is the only child of the two murder accused Robert and Anne Geeves. File picture](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/172474527/66d3a314-cf4b-4dec-a1cb-c622c7259bf5.jpg/r0_75_800_525_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The son of a Riverina couple on trial for murder has told a court he was physically sick for days after learning his father had a child with his ex-girlfriend, who they are accused of killing.
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Robert Bruce "Robbie" Geeves - the only child of Robert Samuel and Anne Margaret Geeves - told the Wagga Supreme Court on Wednesday. June 26, his parents had wanted more children and while his mother spoke of it fairly often, his father never really did.
The pair are charged with murdering Amber Haigh in June 2002 as part of a plot to gain custody of her child.
The then 19-year-old had previously lived on their property - Huntleigh - in the Kingsvale area near Harden.
On Wednesday, the court heard Robbie's parents split for some years while he was in primary school - around 1988 - and he lived at multiple addresses in Young until the pair moved back to Huntleigh.
The court heard Robbie and Ms Haigh met about the age of 16 and became boyfriend and girlfriend in the late 1990s while they were both attending TAFE.
Ms Haigh later moved to Mount Isa and while Robbie phoned her almost daily for a year, they eventually called it off.
During this time, Robbie said his dad would also speak with Ms Haigh. Asked how he knew this, he said he was there as the calls were made on the home landline phone.
Robbie began going out with Natasha Cross around April 2000, and some time after that relationship began the idea was flagged that Ms Haigh would live with Mr and Mrs Geeves at Huntleigh.
Robbie, who was then living with Ms Cross at the property, did not like the idea, telling the court it wasn't right to have his former girlfriend move into the house.
However, when he protested to his mother, she said his father wanted it and that was that.
Robbie and Ms Cross moved out about a week later.
The discussion once again turned to Ms Haigh's baby that was born in 2002.
The court heard Robbie had suspicions about the father when he heard Ms Haigh was pregnant, but he "didn't want to believe it to begin with".
He told the court his mother came around one day with a "surprise" for him and convinced him to come with her.
But when they pulled up at the Young Hospital, Robbie realised what the "surprise" was, and refused to go inside despite his mother's insistence.
Following this, Robbie was physically sick for three days and said this was a result of finding out the news.
The court heard this also prompted him to take leave from work with his parents and eventually resign.
He told the court his mother said "don't do this to me" during a phone call between the two.
He recalled one night when his parents came over with the baby, but not Ms Haigh, and Mrs Geeves asked to see him.
Testifying in court on Wednesday, Ms Cross said she answered the door to Mrs Geeves and said Robbie didn't want to see her.
Robbie told the court he eventually let his mum and the baby inside as it was cold outside.
Both Ms Cross and Robbie told the court on Wednesday that during the conversation that followed, Mrs Geeves raised the topic of surrogacy in relation to Ms Haigh and the baby.
Robbie recalled his mother asked the question: "Haven't you ever heard of a surrogate mother?"
Ms Cross recalled Mrs Geeves asked if the pair had "ever heard of surrogacy and that's what was happening".
Ms Cross had previously told police Mrs Geeves alluded to taking custody of the child.
"I will be the mother of this child because Amber couldn't cope with looking after it," the court heard.
Robbie told the court his mother had wanted more children and raised this from time to time.
However defence barrister for Mrs Geeves, Michael King, suggested his client had discussed the topic around the time she experienced a stillbirth.
The court heard Robbie had a sister, Emma, who was stillborn, in 1994.
"(My mum) always felt bad that Emma had died ... we didn't speak about it overly often but it did come up time again about having another baby," he told the court.
Robbie said he was already a "very quiet" child and "withdrew a lot" after Emma's death.
Ms Haigh's uncle Michael Haigh also took the witness stand on Wednesday, recounting the last time he ever saw his niece.
Mr Haigh said the last time he farewelled Ms Haigh was in early 2002 after she and her baby came and stayed with him and his partner.
"I gave Amber and (her baby) ... a kiss and told Amber I loved her and I have not seen her to this day," he told the court.
Ms Haigh was "very smitten" with her child during her visit in early 2002, her uncle said.
When asked if Ms Haigh ever expressed concern about Anne Geeves, Mr Haigh told the court his niece had mentioned she was scared of what Mrs Geeves would do because she was sleeping with her husband.
Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr asked Mr Haigh if he thought his niece would have made contact with him if she were still alive. His reply was an unequivocal "absolutely".
Ms Haigh also told her uncle there had been allegations of criminal behaviour by Robert Geeves, the court heard.
Mr Haigh said his niece "loved her father" but despite this he did not contact Ms Haigh when her father - his brother - Jeffrey Haigh was dying of liver cancer in 2002.
He told the court he had no knowledge of any arrangements Ms Haigh had made to visit her dad in June 2002.
The court has previously heard Mr Geeves and his wife drove Ms Haigh to Campbelltown Railway Station on June 5 that year, with the intention to visit her father who was in hospital.
She has not been seen since.
The trial continues.