Corey Gregory Walsh pleads guilty in Coffs Harbour court

A Coffs Harbour man who was a bikie gang sergeant-at-arms and “never had full-time employment” has been sentenced for perverting the course of justice while in jail.

A man has been sentenced to jail after appearing in Coffs Harbour Local Court for perverting the course of justice. Picture: Leigh Jensen

A man being protected in jail, due to his links with bikie gangs, has been convicted for perverting the course of justice.

Corey Gregory Walsh appeared in Coffs Harbour court recently via audiovisual link.

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and contravening a prohibition/restriction in an apprehended violence order.

His defence lawyer told the court her client was “overwhelmed” by his situation in jail - first being placed in segregation and later protection due to his connections with a bikie gang.

Walsh is currently an inmate of the Clarence Correction Centre serving a three-year sentence for serious domestic violence offences which took place on February 13, 2021.

According to a sentencing report tendered to the court, Walsh was a previous sergeant-at-arms of an outlaw motorcycle gang and has had a longstanding history of drug dealing.

A sergeant-at-arms is like a club enforcer who defends and protects members and is directly responsible for their security and safety.

Walsh’s lawyer told the court he had been on a support pension most of his life and was studying accounting while in jail.

“He has had a childhood history of trauma and neglect,” she said.

Mr Walsh had acknowledged it was a “poor decision” to contact the woman who was the subject of the apprehended violence order.

Magistrate Ian Rodgers told the court that Walsh, who had “never had full-time employment”, made more than 200 phone calls in the space of 10 days in “blatant disregard” of the order.

He recognised that many of them were “voluntary” but they were an attempt to “bribe her and get her to drop the charges against him”.

Mr Rodgers read from a transcript from one of the calls where Mr Walsh told the protected person “dead set, if I get bail I will give you my car”.

Police facts tendered to court outlined details of another phone call where he said “I am sorry, I really am. You are the love of my life and I will kill for you. That is a promise”.

During a call on March 16 he said “Go into the police station and say I never assaulted ya”.

During another call, on March 18, he offered five litres of what NSW Police considered to be an “illegal substance”.

“I will give you five f***ing litres if you go into the cop shop and drop the charges,” the court facts read.

Mr Walsh pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to 15 months in jail for perverting the course of justice and four months in jail for breaching the apprehended violence order.