DAnish golfer Torbjorn Olesen was cleared Wednesday of a sexual assault on a woman who was flying to the UK from the 2019 Tennessee Golf World Cup.
Olesen, 31, cried and hugged his partner after he was acquitted in a London court on charges of sexual assault, assault and drunkenness on board a plane from Nashville to London.
Olesen faced accusations that he grabbed a woman by the chest, pushed a member of the flight attendant and urinated on the seat of a first class passenger. He said that he did not remember his behavior after drinking alcohol and sleeping pills.
Olesen’s lawyer said that the footballer’s career would be “over” if he was found guilty.
“I paid a very high price for my mistake,” said Olesen, a five-time European Tour winner who was in 62nd place at the time of the incident but has since dropped to 432nd place.
“This incident,” he added in a statement released after the verdict, “has had a devastating impact on me personally, on my family and on my career.”
Olesen, who was a member of the European team that won the 2018 Ryder Cup, was arrested after arriving at Heathrow Airport on July 29, 2019. The following month, he was suspended from the European tour pending an investigation, with the suspension being withdrawn last July because of a late trial.
“I want to thank everyone who has supported me over the past two years and the European tour for rebuilding me in 2020,” Olesen said. “I have learned from my mistake and will make sure that I never find myself in a similar situation again. Now I want to focus on my golf without being distracted and repay the trust of everyone who has believed in me throughout this difficult time. “
A court at Aldersgate House Nightingale Court in central London heard him drinking beer, red wine, vodka and champagne before take off after playing at WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
As the jury was told, Olesen ran around the cockpit “like a little boy”, got stuck in the toilet and began to insult the flight attendants when challenged.
Witnesses said Olesen pushed a British Airways flight attendant member, kissed the director’s hand before crossing himself, and buried his face in the woman’s neck before grabbing her chest.
Olesen then cried before falling asleep, but later got up and urinated on the seat of another first class passenger.
While testifying, Olesen said that he wanted to fall asleep right away on the plane, having played several major tournaments, including the British Open.
“I don’t remember anything that happened after takeoff, but I am embarrassed and ashamed of the report on my actions, which was presented during the test,” he said.
“My behavior was completely uncharacteristic, and nothing like this had ever happened to me, either before or after. My actions were the result of taking potent sleeping pills that I had not taken before, and my only intention was to make sure that I could fall asleep during the transatlantic flight. after a tiresome game schedule. “