Gregory James Agnew: Kyogle man’s rape sentence delayed in Lismore District Court

The wife of a man found guilty of plying a woman with cocaine and booze before raping her says her husband was not in an outlaw motorcycle club but was a friend of its members.

Gregory James Agnew was due to be sentenced on Thursday for raping a woman in Kyogle.

The wife of a man facing sentence for raping a woman at Kyogle has refuted a suggestion her husband had links to an outlaw motorcycle gang.

Gregory James Agnew, 40, was due to be sentenced in Lismore District Court on Thursday on two charges of sexual intercourse without consent.

The former motorcycle repairman was found guilty by a jury in June of plying his victim with alcohol and cocaine until she was incapacitated and then raping her in November 2018.

He was arrested in May 2020 after a five-month police investigation into several alleged drug and sexual assault incidents within the Richmond Police District.

Agnew’s wife Pamela Agnew was asked to address the court on Thursday to detail their son’s disability and the hardship caused to their family by his bail conditions.

When asked about Agnew’s drug use, Mrs Agnew said it was “heartbreaking” but said he had been scaling back from his use when the sexual assault took place.

“(The drug revelation) crushed me a little bit,” she told the court.

Crown prosecutor David Morters asked Mrs Agnew if she knew her husband was involved in the Iron Horse motorcycle gang.

The question drew an objection from Agnew’s defence solicitor Megan Cusack.

Mr Morters said Agnew’s relationship with the illegal motorcycle gang would reveal a “completely different” character from the family provider Mrs Agnew suggested.

When asked if her husband was a member, Mrs Agnew vehemently denied it.

“He was friends with people who were in the club,” she said.

Both parties also voiced objection over a related alleged assault to Agnew by the victim’s father.

The “vigilante” attack, as described by Judge Jeffrey McLennan, involved the victim’s father allegedly wielding a machete at Agnew.

Ms Cusack said the attack left Agnew in a serious condition and he needed internal and external stitches as a result.

The court also heard Mrs Agnew’s car had suffered three stab holes as a result of the same incident but no charges were laid.

However, Ms Cusack eventually decided not to press the submissions further on the basis of Mr Morters’ objection of hearsay.

Judge McLennan said he did not accept further submissions Agnew was in the Australian Army and asked for more evidence regarding Agnew’s Queensland criminal history to be provided to the court.

He said the information had played a part in the submitted mental health assessment of Agnew.

“What they suggest is the relevance of what happened to him as a child had some longstanding effect on him his cocaine and ice use,” he said.

Agnew’s sentence was adjourned until September 28.