Chelsea Pensioner Who Took "Sexual Advantage" Of Drunken Woman Four Decades His Junior Jailed

In Scarlet Uniform: Teegan

A Chelsea Pensioner has been jailed for twelve months and kicked out of the prestigious Royal Hospital after sexually assaulting a drunken woman - four decades his junior - in his private berth.

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

He flouted the hospital's strict rules concerning female guests in resident's rooms when he took her back and rubbed himself against the naked victim as she lay in his bed.

"He has lost his prestigious position as a Chelsea Pensioner. A position he thought he would benefit from for the rest of his life with all the care provisions that involves," said Mis Emma Goodall, defending.

"To have that security removed at his age has had a considerable punitive impact. He's found himself suffering considerable repetitional damage…..causing him considerable shame."  

The decorated former Warrant Officer, who joined the Army in Belfast in 1962 and served all over the world, was convicted by the Isleworth Crown Court jury of sexually assaulting the woman in the early hours of May 24, last year.

She had already consumed two glasses of champagne that day and says she blacked-out after Teegan bought her a couple of glasses of white wine.

In Nick: Patrick Teegan

The court heard the next thing she remembers is waking up naked in Irishman Teegan's bed with the stripped defendant grinding against her.

"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 - known as 'Paddy' - 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?'"

In return for £175 a week residents at the 320 year-old Sir Christopher Wren-designed hospital, who must be Army veterans over 65 years-old, receive a private berth within the seventeenth century Grade 1 listed building, plus three meals a day and enjoy an active ceremonial and social life.

Recorder Jonathan Davies said: "She was somebody who wilfully drunk and the defendant acted in an opportunistic way rather than setting out to get her to drink to do what he did.

"She had no memory of what happened. She was seen outside not being able to walk straight. The defendant tried to blame her every step of the way.

"You took sexual advantage of her when she was in no position to prevent sexual activity with you. This offence clearly crosses the custody threshold.

"The impact on her was significant. She could not work, lost her confidence, became reclusive and lost contact with her family and friends."

Hours before the assault 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 drinking 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 after 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 will also have to sign the sex offenders register for ten years.