

Queensland dentist who gave employee laughing gas before assaulting her sentenced to seven years' jail

A once well-respected Queensland dentist and orthodontist has been jailed for seven years for the "despicable" rape and sexual assault of his teenage employee while she was working for him four decades ago.
Promising to fix a problem tooth, Dr Peter James Agnew scheduled an afterhours appointment, gave the young woman about four times the normal dose of nitrous oxide, and unzipped her uniform.
The woman laid disoriented in the dentist chair and Agnew assaulted her.
It was only when a friend heard what was going on that the assault was interrupted.
The court heard Agnew groomed the young employee for months before the attacks.
Agnew also showed her pornography and put his hand up her uniform while she was washing dental equipment.
On another occasion the then-teenager was turning lights off and washing instruments at the end of the day when Agnew walked over to her, pushed her to ground, pulled down her underwear and raped her.


The survivor, who cannot be identified, gave a moving victim impact statement to the court.
"The attacks you made on me 40 years ago have negatively impacted and influenced every aspect of my life," she said.
"I was living a great life. You took that from me."
The powerful statement continued through tears: "You were the boss and you exerted your power and authority over me because you could.
"You thought you could get away with no one knowing your crimes... I know better than most that monsters hide in plain sight."
Agnew was found guilty of rape and indecent assault of a female after a judge-alone trial.
Judge Deborah Richards sentenced Agnew to seven years' jail for the rape and six months' jail for the sexual assault.
She ordered he be eligible for release on parole on January 10, 2024.
The court heard Agnew still has the support of his wife, daughter and other members of his family.
Outside court, the survivor of the rape told 9News she felt so much safer with him behind bars.
"Seven years will give him a long time to think about his behaviour in the past," she said.
"Women have a right to expect that when they go to work they will be safe. 
"I wanted to use my voice for other women who haven't had the opportunity to have that voice.
"Predators need to be held accountable, if something like this has happened to you, come forward you can get justice."
*Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
*MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.
*Multicultural Mental Health Australia

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