RYDER Cup winner Thorbjorn Olesen groped a woman’s breasts and urinated on his first class British Airways seat after downing champagne, a court heard.
The Danish golfer, 31, drank champagne and a vodka cranberry on the Boeing 747 plane BA flight from Nashville to Heathrow on 29 July 2019, jurors heard.
A cabin crew member saw Olesen drink from another passenger’s glass of pink champagne, it was claimed.
BA staff tried to restrain the Dane as he wandered around the plane swearing, fleeing from them “like a little boy”, Aldersgate House Nightingale court in central London was told.
Olesen allegedly pushed BA employee Sarah White when she tried to get him back into his seat then said “It’s all about you, isn’t it, just go away”.
Fellow Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter intervened and tried to get Olesen to settle down in his seat, but he began to walk around again, jurors heard.
A male crew member was trying to escort Olesen back to his seat when the sportsman grabbed his hand and started to kiss it, jurors heard.
He allegedly then grabbed a woman’s hand and kissed it, before nuzzling her neck and putting his hand over her breast.
Olesen was then taken back to his seat where he began to cry, then fell asleep, it is claimed.
But another passenger was woken up to find Olesen standing in the aisle with his eyes closed, urinating onto his own seat, jurors heard.
Olesen was put back into his seat while other passengers were moved away, the court heard.
The golfer, a five-time winner on the European Tour and member of the winning 2018 European Ryder Cup team, denies sexual assault, assault by beating in relation to Ms White and being drunk on an aircraft.
Prosecutor Max Hardy said: “She [Sarah White] greeted him [Olesen] and offered him a drink, and he requested a glass of champagne.
“During the flight, he requested a drink and ordered a vodka and cranberry juice.
‘ASSAULT’
“She noticed he was drinking from another passenger’s glass of pink champagne. Later, she noticed him in the toilet trying to push the pull door.
“He pushed her on her right shoulder and said: “It’s all about you isn’t it, just go away”.
“She tried to leave in case he assaulted her again. During the course of this she could hear him shout “I’m going to f**k you up”.”
Cabin crew member Graham Gee had to intervene to get Olesen back to his seat, but Olesen allegedly sexually assaulted a woman on the flight, the court heard.
‘URINATING’
Olesen kissed her on the hand and on her neck, and touched her right breast, the court heard.
Mr Hardy said another passenger woke up and saw “the defendant had his penis out and was urinating in the aisle”.
Police arrested the five-time European Tour winner when the aircraft landed at Heathrow.
Olesen said he could not remember what happened on the flight, and had drunk “five or six drinks, a few glasses of red wine, a couple of beers and a vodka and cranberry”.
‘EMBARRASSED’
The court heard he took sleeping pills “to knock himself out”.
Mr Hardy continued: “He said he remembered drinking a glass of champagne after boarding. He could not remember doing what was described.
“He said he felt terrible and embarrassed and felt sorry for the woman he touched.”
He added: “He was asked if he remembered drinking champagne from another person’s glass and he said no.”
Trevor Burke, QC, defending, said Olesen had taken sleeping tablets which caused his “bizarre behaviour”.
He said the combination of pills and alcohol could have caused Olesen to behave in the alleged way on the flight, and that he would have had no control or memory over his actions.
Mr Burke said: “This can produce complex, disinhibited, and unconscious behaviours that the defendant might have no memory of.”
The Dane, wearing a dark grey suit, spoke only to confirm his name.
He denies sexual assault, assault by beating and being drunk on an aircraft.
The trial continues.
