Former Ryder Cup star Thorbjørn Olesen has allegedly sexually assaulted a woman on a British Airways plane two years ago by grabbing her breast, a court said.
The 31-year-old is also said to have urinated on a passenger seat and pushed a member of the cabin crew after drinking alcohol and taking sleeping pills on the 2019 flight from Nashville to London Heathrow.
He denies the allegations of sexual assault, assault by striking and being drunk on a plane on July 29, 2019 at a trial at Aldersgate House Nightingale Court in central London.
Olesen, a five-time winner on the European Tour and former top 10 at the Masters and Open Championship, says he does not remember how he behaved on the flight because of the drinks and sleeping pills.
Sarah White, part of BA’s cabin crew, said in a statement read in court that she served him a glass of champagne before take-off, then a vodka and cranberry juice, and noticed he was drinking pink champagne from another passenger’s glass .
The Dane was on board with other professional players, including Ian Poulter and Justin Rose, and White said that ‘it looked like they were trying to have a party’.
She described how Olesen pushed her as she tried to direct him back to her seat from the toilet, saying, “During the flight, Mr. Olesen assaulted me and failed to listen to my instructions. Through my 27 years of service, I have never encountered such bad behavior on board a plane. ‘
Another woman, who could not be identified, said in a statement that Olesen grabbed her hand, started kissing her and touched her breast.
‘He would not let go and then nuzzled his face into the neck. I felt like he clearly did not know what he was doing, she said.
‘He had his right hand around my back. With his left hand, he grabbed my chest and moved his hand over my right chest.
‘I felt shocked, he had exceeded the goal.’
Olesen was put back in his seat by cabin crew and Poulter, but would later wake up and urinate on a passenger seat and in the hallway, the court said.
After the plane landed in London, Olesen was arrested and told police he could not remember what happened on board.
The trial continues.
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