Ryder Cup winner Thorbjorn Olesen cleared of sexual assault on British Airways flight

His barrister said the ‘bizarre behaviour’ was caused by use of sleeping pills

Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen arrives for a hearing in his court case at Aldersgate House, London (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Ryder Cup winning golfer Thorbjorn Olesen has been acquitted of sexual assault, assault by beating and being drunk on a flight.

The 31-year-old Danish sportsman was accused of the offences that had allegedly took place on a transatlantic British Airways flight in July 2019.

The allegations were urinating on a passenger’s seat in first class, grabbing a woman's breast, and being “under the influence of something” on the flight from Nashville to London Heathrow.

He had denied the allegations at Aldersgate House Nightingale Court in London and was acquitted on Tuesday.

Olesen – of Chelsea in west London – said in court earlier this week: “I felt absolutely horrible and I was very sorry. I could not believe what they were saying what happened. I was just embarrassed and felt horrible.

“I think I remember taking off. I’m not 100 per cent sure.”

His barrister Trevor Burke QC said that Olesen was acting as an “automaton” and not in control of himself. He also doesn’t have any memory of his “bizarre behaviour” on board the plane after taking sleeping tablets left in his wash bag by partner Lauren Zafer.

Olesen was on the eight-hour flight with other golfers – including England’s Ian Poulter and Justin Rose – following the World Golf Championships-FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis.

The court heard that he had drunk beer, red wine, vodka and champagne before the plane departed.

The jury was told that Olesen – a five-time European Tour winner – ran around the plane “like a little boy”, got trapped in the toilet, and became verbally abusive to cabin crew.

He was also accused of pushing BA worker Sarah White, kissing cabin service director Graham Gee’s hand before making the sign of the cross, and nuzzling his face into a woman’s neck before grabbing her breast.

Olesen then cried before falling asleep, but later got up and urinated on a fellow first-class passenger’s seat, the court also heard.

Mr Burke said in court: “His conduct was not voluntary, that is the essence of automatism.”

The barrister added that Olesen took two melatonin tablets and two prescription-only Ambien/Zolpadine pills that had been bought from a “dodgy website” by Ms Zafer.

The medication can cause side effects including memory loss, lack of co-ordination and sleepwalking.

Mr Burke said Olesen’s actions were “explainable, medically speaking”.

He told jurors: “He would never have knowingly taken them had he recognised even the remotest risk of his life being completely ruined.”

He was suspended following his arrest on landing at Heathrow and his career has struggled – seeing his position in the world rankings drop from 51st to 440th.

Additional reporting by PA