Chelsea Pensioner Denies Sexually Assaulting Drunken Woman Four Decades His Junior

A Chelsea Pensioner who flouted the Royal Hospital's strict rules when he allowed a drunken woman - four decades his junior - into his room, took advantage by sexually assaulting her, a court heard today.

Patrick Noel Teegan, 72, played a ceremonial role in last year's closing ceremony of the Chelsea Flower Show and was wearing the trademark ceremonial scarlet uniform when he bought the 29 year-old fund-raising executive a couple of glasses of white wine in the hospital's club.

Isleworth Crown Court heard the decorated former Warrant Officer, who joined the Army in Belfast in 1962 and served all over the world, was asked by the club's barmaid to escort the woman out because of her drunken behaviour.

The complainant had two glasses of champagne earlier in the day and says she remembers nothing until waking up naked in the defendant's bed at 3.40am.

"I felt very drunk and being in the club is my last memory," she explained.

"He had his arm around my waist and he was naked as well lying behind me," she told police. "I was shocked I didn't know where I was or who I was with."

She told the court semi-aroused Teegan was rubbing his groin against her buttocks and invited her to remain until the morning, describing her as: "Wonderful."

"I just thought: 'What the hell is happening?'"

Hours earlier Teegan, who was a Ministry of Defence civil servant for a decade after his Army service, took part in the traditional bell-ringing ceremony, which closes the annual flower show.

The father-of-two spent the rest of the evening in the Chelsea Pensioners Club, where he met the woman. "She was smiling and I said: 'Hello, would you like a drink?' I could see she was getting merry and her voice did get loud.

"She was not straight, you could tell she'd had a drink," he told the court.

"I took her out of the club because the barmaid suggested it and she said she was tired, needed a rest and did not want to go home.

"She said: 'Can I come to your room and have a rest?' I said: 'Yes, you can come to my berth and have a rest.'

"I knew I was doing wrong by letting her into my berth, that was breaking hospital rules, the no female rule.

"She started taking her clothes off and got into bed and she said: 'Come to bed.' I got into bed, wearing just my underpants. I wanted to have a rest.

"She took my right hand and placed it on her stomach, but I took my hand away. I think she wanted to initiate more, perhaps sex."

Teegan told the court she then threw up over herself. "I told her: 'I think it's time you went.'"

He walked her to the night bus, which she caught at 3am, but was seen by the police six days later.

Describing how it felt to be arrested Teegan said: "I went into shock," adding that it was "horrible" being on trial.

The woman asked her mother to take her to a psychiatric hospital the next day, fearing she would harm herself otherwise.

Teegan, of Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Hospital Road has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the woman on May 24, last year.

Trial continues………….