31-07-2025
Rape victim: 'I don't know how I will move on from this'
Luke Adams has been sentenced to five years and eight months' imprisonment for rape and drug-related crimes. Photo: Felicity Dear
A Dunedin man has been jailed for his involvement in a gang-related drug ring and raping a woman on New Year's Eve.
Luke Patrick Andrew Adams, 35, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting charges of rape, permitting his vehicle to be used for drug offending, possessing cannabis for sale, selling cannabis and offering to sell cannabis.
The court heard that on New Year's Eve 2023, the defendant and a woman were drinking and smoking cannabis at an address together.
They had consensual sex before the woman said she was "done for the evening and did not want to be touched again due to their level of intoxication", a police summary said.
She had a shower and went to bed.
But early on January 1, the woman's friend drunkenly came to the house, undressed and got in the bed with the woman and Adams.
The defendant then raped the woman he had earlier had sex with, who told the defendant "no, I am done — I don't want to".
The defendant ignored her protests and continued while groping the other woman, but the next day told police the interaction was consensual.
In a statement read to the court yesterday, the victim of the sexual assault said she had become "a frail shell of the strong person I was proud to be".
"I don't know how I will move on from this. He has given me a life sentence," she said.
The court heard that from August 2023 to May last year, Adams was involved peripherally in offending being investigated under Operation Leith, which was part of the inquiry into the drug supply activities of the Comancheros motorcycle gang.
Police said the supply of methamphetamine into Dunedin and Invercargill was "significantly disrupted" after arrests were made as part of the operation.
Adams bought cannabis from an associate and would on-sell to customers.
Police found he made 43 sales of cannabis, which sold for about $7880.
Adams offered to sell cannabis on 81 other occasions with a potential gain of $37,545 and nearly 4kg of the drug being involved.
In late April last year, he offered to act as a drug mule for his associate, and in May he rented a vehicle and drove the man to Christchurch.
Once there, the associate met suppliers and bought cannabis and methamphetamine.
On their return journey south, police stopped the pair on the forecourt of an Ashburton petrol station.
In the car, police found a bag containing 20 zip-lock bags each containing an ounce of methamphetamine (603g), which had an estimated street value of $140,000-$160,000.
Also in the bag was 851g of cannabis, which had an estimated street value of $9120.
A cannabis grinder, bong and $3000 cash was also found in the car.
Yesterday, Judge David Robinson noted the defendant was remorseful and had been engaging in rehabilitative services while in custody.
The judge sentenced Adams to five years and eight months' imprisonment — four years and two months for the rape charge and 18 months for the drug-related offending.
The defendant was also ordered to pay $5000 emotional harm reparation to the victim.
