Olesen's career 'over' if loses court case, says his lawyer

Olesen said he has no memory of his behavior on board the plane from Nashville to London after drinking alcohol and taking sleeping tablets.

Published : Dec 08, 2021 22:02 IST

Olesen was arrested after arriving at Heathrow Airport on July 29, 2019 and was suspended by the European Tour the following month pending an investigation, with the suspension lifted last July because of the delay in court proceedings.
Olesen was arrested after arriving at Heathrow Airport on July 29, 2019 and was suspended by the European Tour the following month pending an investigation, with the suspension lifted last July because of the delay in court proceedings.
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Olesen was arrested after arriving at Heathrow Airport on July 29, 2019 and was suspended by the European Tour the following month pending an investigation, with the suspension lifted last July because of the delay in court proceedings.

Thorbjorn Olesen’s golf career would be “over” if he is found guilty of sexual assault and assault, his lawyer said Wednesday as the Danish player’s trial approached its conclusion.

Olesen is facing allegations he grabbed a woman’s breast, pushed a member of the cabin crew and urinated on a first-class passenger’s seat on a flight to Britain from a World Golf Championships event in Tennessee in 2019.

The 31-year-old Olesen, a five-time winner on the European Tour and a member of Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team in 2018, said he has no memory of his behavior on board the plane from Nashville to London after drinking alcohol and taking sleeping tablets.

Olesen denies charges of sexual assault, assault and being drunk on an aircraft.

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On the third day of the trial at Aldersgate House Nightingale Court in London, Trevor Burke, representing Olesen, told the jury the player was a “thoroughly decent man” whose character was “key” to the verdict.

Burke said Olesen would never have willingly risked his career and that his conduct “was not voluntary.”

“All this man has ever wanted to do was play golf,” Burke said. “Please let him play it again.”

Olesen was arrested after arriving at Heathrow Airport on July 29, 2019. He was suspended by the European Tour the following month pending an investigation, with the suspension lifted last July because of the delay in court proceedings.

He was ranked No. 62 after the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2019, but has since fallen to No. 432.

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