Auckland bar and restaurant owner Philip David Sturm suggested to police that a 20-year-old who had made allegations of drugging and sexual violation against him might have had "some sort of guilt trip" after their encounter, which Sturm says was entirely consensual. 48-year-old Sturm is currently on trial in the High Court in Auckland on 20 charges that include 12 of sexual violation and and six relating to intentional drugging of his alleged victims. The Court was played a videotaped interview on Thursday which Sturm gave to police. In it, he said that a drunk 20-year-old had approached him at Coast Bar, which he owns. He said he might have bought the man a drink, but denied adding anything to it. After accompanying Sturm back to his office, the pair took Ecstasy and had sex, an encounter described by Sturm as as a bit of “fiddlie-noo”. "He was frisky. He was feeling good about himself. He wasn't in a state where he wasn't in control, I will never believe that. And he was never coerced,” said Sturm, adding that two days later the man had texted him, saying he wished the encounter had never happened. Sturm also denied forcing himself on another complainant, a 19-year-old who was willingly picked up on the side of the road at 4am in Grey Lynn last 22 November. The man agreed to go back to Sturm's office for a beer. They later took ecstasy, speed, and had sex at Sturm's home, which Sturm said was all consensual. After being shown a photograph of a third complainant who claimed to have met Sturm at Coast Bar, Sturm said he did not recognise the man or remember meeting him at the bar.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Saturday, 8th November 2003 - 12:00pm