A former Middlesbrough drug dealer has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for a series of horrific offences against two vulnerable women. Vincent Agar, now 80, was described by a judge as a 'sadistic bully' who 'revelled in holding power over some of the most vulnerable women in our society'.
The offences
The attacks took place around the turn of the century in the Newport area of Middlesbrough. Both victims were drug addicts, and one was a sex worker. Agar was their dealer. He subjected one victim to prolonged torture, cutting her with hot knives, burning her with an iron and a crackpipe gauze, and beating her with a metal hoover pole until it broke. He also threatened to break her fingers with a wrench, poured hot water from a kettle over her, cut off her hair, and burnt her with cigarettes. The second attack lasted around three days, during which Agar detained the woman against her will. She witnessed a 'torture chamber' with a wooden chair fitted with leather straps.
Psychological impact
In victim impact statements, both women described lasting trauma. One said she had come to believe violence was 'normal' after the attacks. The other carried guilt for not reporting what she saw. Agar had fitted three doors inside his flat on Parliament Road, which the judge described as 'classic security measures of a drug dealer' that also prevented escape.
Sentencing
Agar was convicted of six offences after a trial at Teesside Crown Court. He had been living in Thailand before his extradition. In mitigation, his lawyer cited his addiction to crack cocaine and possible lung cancer. Judge Richard Bennett, sentencing at Durham Crown Court, said Agar had 'got away with these serious offences for 25 years' but now faced justice. The judge also commended the investigating officers for their exceptional work.
