- A Ryder Cup-winning golfer has appeared in court charged with sexual assault on a Transatlantic flight.
- Thorbjorn Olesen is also accused of urinating on another passenger's seat during the flight.
A court in the UK has heard that Ryder Cup-winning golfer Thorbjorn Olesen sexually assaulted a fellow passenger and urinated on another's seat during a transatlantic flight in 2019, according to a number of reports, including from The Times of London and the BBC.
The Danish golfer is on trial at Aldersgate House Nightingale Court in London facing charges of sexual assault, assault by beating, and being drunk on an aircraft, all of which he denies.
During proceedings on Monday, the BBC reports that the court heard that Olesen was "drunk and disruptive" on the flight from Nashville, Tennessee to the UK in July 2019 as he returned to Europe after a PGA Tour competition.
In a witness statement read to the court, the woman who accused Olesen of sexual assault — who cannot be named —said, according to BBC Sport: "He grabbed my hand and kissed it. He would not let go. He nuzzled his head into the nape of my neck. I thought he clearly did not know what he was doing.
"I was very wary of his behaviour as he had been aggressive towards crew members. He had his right hand around my back. He then grabbed my breast and moved his hand over my right breast. I felt shocked. It had overstepped the mark."
Cabin crew told the court that they tried to restrain Olesen as he wandered around the plane, fleeing from staff and making the sign of the cross, reports The Times.
The 31-year-old previously pleaded not guilty to all charges against him at a court appearance in 2019. His trial had been set for May 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID pandemic.
Olesen, who lives in Chelsea, west London, had been competing at the World
According to The Times and the BBC, fellow professional golfers Ian Poulter, 45, and Justin Rose, 41, were also on the flight, and were called on by cabin crew for assistance.
A member of the cabin crew on the flight also told the court that Olesen had urinated over a first class passenger's seat and in the aisle.
"About four hours into the flight I was made aware that a passenger had pressed the call bell to inform the attendant that Mr Olesen had got up and urinated over the male, his seat and the aisle," the cabin crew member said, according to a BBC account of proceedings.
The same cabin crew member said she had "never seen such bad behaviour" on a flight in 27 years of service.
The jury was told Olesen, who was arrested when the plane landed, had no memory of his behaviour after drinking alcohol and taking sleeping pills, believed to be Xanax, according to The Times.
Olesen was suspended by the European Tour in August 2019 pending an investigation into his arrest and charges. The suspension was lifted in July 2020 because of delays in court proceedings in the UK caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to ESPN.
The Dane has won five events on the European Tour and played in Europe's Ryder Cup-winning team in 2018.