Lord’s conman cleared of groping woman in pavilion
A CLEANING firm boss who conned his way into Lord’s has been cleared of sexually assaulting a woman in the pavilion, after it was revealed that 25 other people who shared his Christian name were there at the time.
James Lattimer, 51, a member of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce, used a fake membership card to get into the cricket ground during the England vs India Test match.
He admitted being very drunk but denied being the “James” whom the woman said had slapped her on the bottom on Aug 9, 2018.
The woman singled him out as the alleged perpetrator more than a year later when she saw him again in the pavilion.
But it emerged during his trial at Hendon magistrates’ court yesterday that 25 other men who were similar in appearance and had the same first name were present at the time.
Mr Lattimer was cleared of sexual assault but admitted conning his way into the venue.
Membership of the MCC has a 29year waiting list and costs an initial £1,000 and a further £600 a year. Jonathan Bryan, prosecuting, said: “When asked by police, he admitted he had bought a deceased member’s card on ebay and substituted his own photo. He couldn’t enter Lord’s cricket ground using that card. In order to enter the pavilion, he only needed to produce that card for visual inspection.
“He was able to buy the cheapest possible tickets to enter the grounds, was able to enter the pavilion with the card, and take the best seats.”
District Judge Angus Hamilton said: “Given the unavoidable issue that memory can be fallible ... I must consider the possibility that [the complainant] has made an innocent mistake.
“I also must think of the consequence of a lot of middle-aged men dressed similarly to Mr Lattimer.”