[imagesource: AP]

Alcohol and sleeping pills are never and have never been a great combination.

A few years back we detailed the stories of a flight attendant calling herself “Betty”, who penned an article talking about the “Attack of the Ambien Zombies”.

Passengers running around nude and urinating on fellow travellers was just one of the horror stories that came out.

Ryder Cup golfer Thorbjørn Olesen has landed himself in serious legal trouble for his behaviour aboard a British Airways flight.

The incident actually occurred in July 2019, a year after Olesen represented Europe at the Ryder Cup.

The European Tour suspended Olesen on August 6 of that same year but lifted the ban last July because of “unprecedented delay in court proceedings”.

Only now is the case being heard in court.

It’s alleged that the Dane drank champagne and vodka while taking sleeping pills before sexually assaulting a woman.

Below via The Telegraph:

The 31-year-old was on his way home from a tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, and was travelling with English golf stars Ian Poulter and Justin Rose, when he allegedly grabbed a woman’s breast, swore, pushed a member of the cabin crew and urinated on a first class seat.

Prior to the incident, witnesses claimed they saw a small group of passengers gathered around Mr Olesen’s seat with a handful of “brightly coloured pills”.

One member of the crew claimed she heard someone in the group say: “Oh, I’ll have some of those,” while another BA stewardess said it appeared some passengers were “trying to have a party”.

Sounds like the sort of thing you hear said outside Modular rather than a first class fight featuring a number of golf professionals.

Olesen was arrested when the flight touched down at Heathrow and he claims to have zero recollection of his behaviour during the flight.

His legal team is claiming that he was taking prescription medication at the time. Even if that was the case, witnesses don’t paint a flattering picture.

Cabin crew member Sarah White said she saw Olesen drinking from somebody else’s champagne glass before an incident took place at the toilet:

Ms White said at one point she had noticed Mr Olesen struggling to get out of the aircraft lavatory by pushing at a pull door, but when she tried to help him he pushed her and said: “It’s all about you isn’t it, just go away.”

She said: “During the flight, Mr Olesen assaulted me and failed to listen to my instructions. Through my 27 years of service, I have never come across such bad behaviour on board a flight.”

Her account was backed up by another crew member, Graham Gee, who says the golfer grabbed his hand and kissed it when he tried to intervene to help White.

A female passenger also gave a damning statement about the golfer’s behaviour:

 …she claimed Olesen had grabbed her hand and started to kiss it.

She said: “He would not let go and then nuzzled his face into the nape of my neck. I felt he clearly didn’t know what he was doing.

“He had his right hand around my back. With his left hand, he then grabbed my breast and moved his hand over my right breast. I felt shocked, he had overstepped the mark.”

Poulter said he himself had taken sleeping tablets but hadn’t given any to Olesen.

Trevor Burke QC, a barrister acting on the Dane’s behalf, told the court that his client had taken Melatonin and Zolpidem (better known as Ambien) sleeping tablets.

Olesen has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, assault by beating, and being drunk on an aircraft, and the trial continues this week.

[source:telegraph]