Keli Lane denied giving birth to Tegan

When questioned by a child protection worker, Keli Lane denied giving birth to the baby she is now accused of murdering, a jury has been told.

John Borovnik said that in a telephone call on October 18, 1999, Lane twice denied giving birth to a child in Sydney's Auburn Hospital in 1996.

The NSW Department of Community Services (DoCS) worker said he then told Lane he would have to pass the information onto the police, which he did on November 4, 1999.

Mr Borovnik was giving evidence on Thursday at the NSW Supreme Court trial of Lane, 35, who has denied murdering her second baby, two-day-old Tegan Lane, on September 14, 1996.

The crown has alleged Lane kept three births secret, adopting out her first and third infants and murdering Tegan.

But the water polo champion told police she handed Tegan over to the baby's father, a man with whom she had had a brief and secret affair.

In 1999, Mr Borovnik was allocated a case involving the adoption of Lane's third child.

The jury has been told that Lane had signed a temporary foster-care agreement with an adoptions agency, after telling staff the baby was her first.

Mr Borovnik said DoCS became involved after the agreement expired and the mother could not be contacted, so the baby had no legal status.

He then obtained various records, which showed Lane had given birth to two other children, one of whom had been adopted out.

In their October 1999 phone call, Mr Borovnik said Lane denied giving birth in 1996 but admitted having the other baby, which was adopted out.

Days later Lane sent Mr Borovnik a fax saying: "Many people have been involved by name who actually have no knowledge of what has occurred and therefore are useless in your inquiries.

"Please do not contact them without giving me prior notice as they will be completely unaware of what you are talking about".

In this context she named Duncan Gillies and Julie Melville.

Mr Gillies was Lane's long-time boyfriend, who gave evidence of being unaware of her giving birth twice during their relationship.

Lane had told social workers he was the father of the first and third babies, while subsequent DNA tests showed he was not.

Lane also told Auburn Hospital that Ms Melville - Mr Gillies' mother - was to be the midwife for her planned home birth of Tegan.

But Ms Melville told the jury she knew nothing about any of Lane's births.

The trial is continuing before Justice Anthony Whealy.