Amber not buried in vineyard, inquest told

The inquest, being conducted by Deputy State Coroner Scott Mitchell at Parramatta Coroners Court, heard evidence that there had been a lot of talk about the disappearance of Ms Haigh on June 5, 2002, including a story that she had been pack raped and killed and that her body had been buried in a vineyard at Anville.

Adam Blundell, an apiarist, agreed in evidence today that he had been involved in drunken discussion about the disappearance and that he had once given a description on how to get to a particular vineyard.

He said he had once worked at the vineyard and that Robert Geeves, who had fathered Ms Haigh's child prior to her disappearance, had also worked at the vineyard.

Peter Hamill SC, counsel assisting the coroner, asked Mr Blundell whether he believed that Ms Haigh was buried at the vineyard.

Mr Blundell said: "No."

Ms Haigh, who was 19 when she disappeared, had lived with Mr Geeves and his wife Anne.

According to Mr Geeves, he and his wife had dropped the girl off at Campbelltown Station the day she disappeared to visit her sick father.

Ms Haigh has not been seen since.

Mr Blundell said today he was only joking when he used words attributed to him that the girl's body had been put through a shredding machine.

He said that Mr Geeves had used a blood and bone mixer and he also said that Mr Geeves had also borrowed his trailer from time to time.

But he denied that he had said in conversation that a video had been made of the girl being pack raped and he had said: "We got the bitch, banged her on the head with a brick."

David John Williams, known as "Sheepdog", agreed that he had been part of drunken conversation and that he had said that Amber Haigh's body had been "in the grapevines" but he said at the time that he had been both "drunk and stoned".

He denied saying anything in another conversation about "gangbang" and torture of Ms Haigh or about her having been hit with a brick and having her throat cut.

The inquiry continues.