A barman from a Christchurch gay bar has been convicted of having non-consensual sex with a 22-year-old male patron, after allegedly plying him with alcohol and putting him to bed on the premises. John Stanley Lawrence, 28, former barman at Chameleon, is in custody awaiting sentence on September 1, after being found guilty by a jury in the Christchurch District Court. He was reportedly close to tears as the verdicts were read. The Crown's case was that the victim was too drunk to give consent to sex and that Lawrence had taken advantage of him. The Defence provided no evidence; unsuccessfully relying on the argument that the purported victim was so drunk his memory of the night's events was wrong. DNA from the victim's clothing failed to connect Lawrence to the victim, and there was no injury, although the victim did report experiencing pain. Judge Colin Doherty said: “For convictions such as these a significant term will be imposed. Ref: NZPA (d)