Drunken executive ‘groped woman in pavilion at Lord’s’
A BUSINESSMAN drunkenly groped and slapped a young woman on her bottom in the exclusive members’ pavilion of Lord’s cricket ground, a court heard yesterday.
James Lattimer, 51, a member of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce, was arrested a year later when the woman recognised him, the hearing was told.
He was also charged with using a forged dead member’s card during an Ashes Test match.
Lattimer, of Bournemouth, yesterday pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the woman at Lord’s on August 9 last year during an England Test match against India.
The cleaning company boss pleaded guilty to making or supplying an article for use in fraud on August 15 this year, namely a Lord’s member’s card, on the second day of the England-Australia Test match.
Lattimer, who also owns a design company and has a background in marketing, was bailed to appear at Hendon Magistrates’ Court on January 24 for trial on the sexual assault allegation.
Prosecutor Sophie Akister told Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday: ‘The Crown’s case is that at 4.20pm, the complainant was in the members’ pavilion of Lord’s cricket ground.
‘It was during a Test match and as she walked towards the toilet she was stopped by a male who introduced himself as “James” and she says he was quite tipsy and flirty.
‘She says he kissed her on both cheeks, grabbed both her bum cheeks and slapped her left cheek. She replied “how dare you”, and the matter was reported to security and the police.”
Nobody was arrested and the woman failed to pick out the man from a photo register of Lord’s members. The court heard she identified Lattimer a year later and he was arrested.
He admits drinking heavily, but says he has little recollection of the event, and insists he did not touch the woman’s bottom.
Miss Akister added: ‘The defendant was in possession of a member’s card that belonged to a deceased member and was altered to allow this defendant access to the members’ pavilion.’
The court heard there were 12,000 people on the 29-year waiting list for Lord’s membership, which costs £1,000 plus £600 per year.
In a statement, the complainant, who cannot be identified, described herself as ‘feeling disgusted and isolated’ by the incident.
‘Just because I am a young woman, who is friendly and wearing a nice dress does not mean my body can be touched,’ she said.
She said she felt ‘unsafe’ in ‘a place that is so special to me’.