Victim, murder-accused fought the week before she disappeared: neighbour

Angelina Fitzgibbon, a former neighbour of Amber Haigh, made the revelation while appearing as witness in the murder trial against Robert Samuel Geeves and Anne Margaret Geeves in the Wagga Supreme Court on Thursday.

The couple are currently facing a judge-only trial for the alleged murder of Ms Haigh, who disappeared in June 2002 at the age of 19.

Ms Fitzgibbon told the court she moved into the Clarke Street units in Young on the same day as Ms Haigh in October 2001 - a couple of months before the birth of her child to Robert Geeves.

The court heard they were both aged 19, both pregnant, and developed a friendship.

Ms Fitzgibbon said, for a time, Ms Haigh would come over to her flat - where she lived with her then husband Peter - daily.

Crown solicitor Jessica Dawson asked if Amber told her any of the circumstances around the pregnancy.

Ms Fitzgibbon recalled it was a "planned pregnancy" and that Ms Haigh told her she didn't want to put Robert Geeves on the birth certificate.

She said Ms Haigh wasn't initially sure who the father was and told her it could have been one of three people - Ray Harding, Paul Harding or Robert Geeves.

"I remember Amber saying she would find out who the father was, get a DNA test," Ms Fitzgibbon told the court.

It was only after the birth of her child in January 2002 that Ms Haigh told her the child was fathered by Mr Geeves.

The court heard Ms Haigh told her she wasn't going to put his name on the certificate because of how he had treated her.

Ms Haigh also planned to move to Mount Isa in Queensland after having the baby, Ms Fitzgibbon said.

"She wanted to get away, to protect the baby," she said.

However, defence barrister for Anne Geeves, Michael King, drew attention to issues that arose between the relationship of Ms Fitzgibbon and Ms Haigh after their initial friendship.

The court heard after living side by side for a time, their relationship became a bit strained.

"You said she would come around and ... tell you about her problems," Mr King said.

Ms Fitzgibbon told her not to "bring her problems here".

The court heard despite Ms Fitzgibbon being obviously pregnant, Ms Haigh told her she had "lost your baby".

Robert Geeves' defence barrister Paul Coady drew attention to the fact Ms Haigh not only said this to Ms Fitzgibbon, but also to other residents of the Clarke Street flats.

"That caused me a degree of stress at one stage ... that's why I separated myself [and] just said 'hi' to her from then on," Ms Fitzgibbon said.

The neighbour told the court there had been a fight between Ms Haigh and Mr Geeves about a week before Ms Haigh disappeared.

"They were having argument [at the flats complex] ... and [I recall] seeing her crying ... but because we didn't really speak much [anymore] I was trying to mind my own business," Ms Fitzgibbon said.

After Mr Geeves left, she said they "made sure [Amber] ... was OK".

Ms Fitzgibbon said Ms Haigh had told her she was fine and they "just left it at that".

The last time she ever saw Ms Haigh, the court heard, was on June 2, 2002.

Ms Fitzgibbon recalled about 9am that day Ms Haigh "was at her flat with Robert Geeves ... [and her demeanour] came across reasonably fine".

Lisa Parker, another resident of the Clarke Street flats while Ms Haigh lived there, also took the stand on Thursday.

Ms Parker told the court Ms Haigh was in her "last trimester" of pregnancy when she moved into the unit complex and seemed uncertain about who the father of her child actually was.

Ms Haigh planned to have another child with Mr Geeves, Ms Parker told the court.

When asked if Ms Haigh told her why she wanted another baby, Ms Parker said she didn't believe it was "just [Amber's] individual choice".

"[Amber] did state another child was spoken about and that the reasoning was that Anne [Geeves] had apparently had cancer," she said.

Ms Parker recalled the last time she saw Ms Haigh was shortly the former gave birth in late May 2002 down the main street in Young.

The trial, before Justice Julia Lonergan, continues.