Teen mum 'had difficulty knowing difference between love and exploitation'

Anne Margaret Geeves and her husband Robert Samuel Geeves are facing a judge-only trial in the Wagga Supreme Court on charges of murdering Amber Haigh in early June 2002.

The Crown has alleged the couple killed the then-19-year-old in order to gain custody of her child, who was fathered by Mr Geeves.

Nurse counsellor Emma Baldock took the witness stand on Thursday and spoke about a several-day visit Ms Haigh made to the Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre in Canberra with her baby son in March 2002.

Ms Baldock told the court she had a "counselling session" with Ms Haigh at the post-natal service during her visit and during that assessment she "set out to ascertain what her physical and psychosocial needs were".

She assessed the teen for emotional needs and what sort of support she might require after leaving the family centre, including any parenting "upskilling".

Ms Haigh revealed during her visit that she conceived her son when both she and Mr Geeves were drunk, the court heard.

Notes from the visit read aloud in the courtroom said: "Anne was angry about the pregnancy ... because Amber ... was on anti-epileptics [at the time and] ... told Amber to get rid of it".

"[Mrs Geeves] told Amber to get rid of it and have another one with Robert when she wasn't on tablets," the court heard.

Ms Baldock observed that Ms Haigh planned to return to her own flat and stated "she will not resume a sexual relationship with Robert".

At the time, Ms Haigh wanted more children, but "not with Robert".

Ms Baldock also noted Mr Geeves was in control of Ms Haigh's finances at the time, saying "Robert manages Amber's money [and] gives her some".

Concerns were also expressed about custody of Ms Haigh's child.

The teen told Ms Baldock if Anne and Robert tried to get her son, because they want another baby, she would "tell him [to] back off".

Ms Haigh and her son were at the time referred to the child at risk assessment unit (CARU).

Following the visit, Ms Baldock concluded Ms Haigh was a "very vulnerable young woman", found her parenting was "very poor" and said her "intellectual capacity has made her vulnerable".

Ms Haigh was also "confused" about her relationship with Robert and Anne Geeves, the court heard.

"[Amber] would have difficulty understanding the difference between love and exploitation," Ms Baldock noted.

Defence barrister Paul Coady - acting for Mr Geeves - pressed the witness on Ms Haigh's parenting skills.

During the visit, Ms Haigh "passed her son around to other clients instead of being put to bed" and the child was also "left on the lounge unattended".

"Is [leaving a child unattended like that] something a registered nurse would take notice of?" Mr Coady asked Ms Baldock.

She said it was certainly "of concern", given the incident took place on day four of the five-day visit to the family centre.

Ms Haigh was observed as "doing well with [her] baby" but not looking after herself.

"[She] will die if you take baby from [her]," a document discussed in court revealed.

Mr Geeves and his wife drove Ms Haigh to Campbelltown Railway Station on June 5, 2002, with the intention the then-19-year-old would visit her father who was in hospital, the court has previously heard.

However she disappeared and has never been seen since, with a NSW coronial inquest finding in 2011 that she died "probably in early June, 2002 as a result of homicide or other misadventure".

The trial continues.