Disability care worker Paul John Hageman jailed for drugging woman before sexually touching her

A Newcastle man who drugged a young woman with cheese and chocolate laced with amphetamines before making several attempts to have sex with her has been sentenced.

Paul John Hageman was jailed in Newcastle District Court on Friday (AAP Image/Mark Russell)

A court has heard how a Newcastle man drugged a young woman with cheese and chocolate laced with amphetamines and told her he had fantasies about her while making several attempts to have sex with her.

Disability care worker Paul John Hageman, 50, was found guilty by a jury in April for two counts of sexual touching without consent and a charge of causing person to take an intoxicated substance to commit an indictable offence.

During his sentencing in Newcastle District Court on Friday it was heard he was with the woman at a home in Maryland on March 19, 2022 and offered a “noticeably” strong coffee on her arrival.

He then asked her to participate in a sensory experiment which required a blindfold in which she felt obliged to do.

It was heard he prepared cheese and chocolate for the young woman to taste, but when she ate them noticed the cheese tasted “off or acidic” and reminded her of the taste of cocaine, while similarly the chocolate tasted bitter.

Hageman laced a piece of cheese with amphetamines. Istock

The court heard a piece of chocolate tasted by the woman was also bitter. Istock

After taking off the blindfold, the court heard the woman was showing symptoms of being drugged and ingesting amphetamines and within the hour felt uncomfortable, jittery and quite shaky.

It was also heard she sent a message to a friend saying, “I think I have been drugged”.

The court heard for a period of about six hours Hageman continued to follow the woman around the house, make sexually explicit comments including that he had fantasies about her while pressuring the woman to have sex with him.

At one point he followed her to a vehicle outside and tried to touch her inappropriately before she threw his hand away.

“No one needs to know,” he said

The court heard Hageman eventually left at around 7pm that evening before the woman called family members who came to the home and found her crying and hysterical.

The woman reported the incident to police the following day before the 50-year-old was arrested in April.

Judge Ian Bourke said the offence involved some planning and continued for hours despite her “robust” objections.

He noted it would have caused significant psychological harm to the victim.

Hageman was sentenced to five years and 10 months jail with a non-parole period of three years and six months.

Mr Bourke noted the 50-year-old had reasonable prospects of rehabilitation but as he still maintained his innocence, there was no remorse for his actions shown.