Businessman Stephan Wagner accused of poisoning wife hit with new charges over alleged prison letters

A semi-retired businessman accused of trying to murder his wife has been slapped with new charges after allegedly sending her letters from prison.

Stephan Wagner, 62, was arrested at his St Andrews home, in Sydney’s south west, on October 8 last year after allegedly brewing cups of tea for his wife Glenda Wagner, 66, that were laced with insecticide, Ant-Rid.

Police will allege he had been poisoning her for more than 18 months, causing her health to deteriorate, until their adult children became suspicious and alerted authorities.

Now, Wagner — who has been locked up since his arrest — is facing two further charges after allegedly breaching an AVO taken out to protect his wife.

The alleged breaches were revealed as Wagner’s matters were mentioned before Magistrate Peter Thompson at Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday.

According to court documents obtained by 7NEWS.com.au, Wagner allegedly first breached the AVO by trying to contact his wife from Parklea Correctional Centre between 12.01am on October 29 and 11am on October 31 — just weeks after his arrest.

Under the conditions of the AVO, Wagner cannot try to contact her in any way, try to find her, and cannot go within 1,000 metres of her home or workplace.

He also must not assault, threaten, stalk, harass, or intimidate her or anyone she has a domestic relationship with, harm her pets, or intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage her property.

Wagner was charged and first faced court over the alleged breach in December.

However, he was charged again just weeks later after he allegedly made a second attempt to contact his wife from behind bars between 2.30pm and 2.40pm on January 15 — just one week before his 62nd birthday.

According to documents, police will allege Wagner “knowingly contravened a restriction in the order” as he stated within a letter that he was ‘’legally unable to write” to his wife.

In court on Wednesday, the prosecutor requested a week adjournment for the case to proceed to charge certification, noting the charge certifier was unwell and needed a few more days to finalise the documents.

Magistrate Thompson agreed, rescheduling all of Wagner’s court matters for next week.

Police will allege that Wagner poisoned his wife between December 2022 and September 2024 at the couple’s home.

He has been charged with allegedly administering poison, administering poison with intent to murder, and using poison to inflict bodily harm.

On LinkedIn, Wagner described himself as a “semi-retired businessman” who had various management roles with big companies and government departments including Optus, UNSW, Nokia, Telstra, and AusIndustry.

He is next due to face Campbelltown Local Court on April 16.