THE captain of a golf club abused his position to ‘dry hump’, grope and kiss a number of women, a court has heard.

Malcolm Fawcett, who claims he was acting as a father figure to the women, is accused of carrying out a sustained campaign of sexual assault against four women over a two-year period, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The former captain at Brancepeth Castle Golf Club, targeted his alleged victims on several occasions with one claiming that he put one of his hands between her breasts to warm it up after a round of golf and another saying that he rubbed his crotch area against her bottom whilst she was bent over.

The Northern Echo:

Philip Standfast, prosecuting, said the victims reported his inappropriate behaviour to management but that very little was done to address their concerns.

The jury heard that several of the allegations had been witnessed by other people with several reporting the incidents to management at the golf club.

Outlining the details of the allegations made against the defendant, the prosecutor said Fawcett had started carrying the assaults out when he was vice captain and the frequency increased when he became captain.

In relation to one of the alleged victims, Mr Standfast said: “The defendant put his hand down her top, between her breasts, and said something like his hands were cold. She was shocked and asked him what he was doing, the defendant replied by giggling and walking away.

“A few weeks later the defendant came from behind her, put his arms around her midriff and rubbed his crotch against her bottom in a ‘dry humping’ motion. The same week the defendant did it again – simulating having sex with her.”

Mr Standfast said the alleged victim was initially worried about complaining about his actions as he was an ‘influential’ man.

On another occasion, the defendant is accused of slipping his hand across the woman’s bottom and towards her genitals, laughing and making a lewd comment.

The barrister said that another of the alleged victims ‘felt uncomfortable being around the defendant’ as she had heard him talking about her and other woman in a ‘sexualised’ way.

Another alleged victim says the defendant would regularly ‘brush against her’ and apologise for his behaviour and on one occasion he ‘kissed her on the lips’ without permission or invite, he said.

Mr Standfast said the defendant told police following his arrest that he had a 'tactile' relationship with the women and would regularly given them a hug or a peck on the cheek.

The 57-year-old, of High Carr Close, Framwellgate Moor, Durham, pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of sexual assault dating from January 2016 until January this year.

Five of the charges relate to one of Fawcett’s four alleged victims, whilst there are three against another, two charges for the third woman and one charge in connection with the final alleged victim.

Jurors will hear the first evidence on Monday morning when the trial continues.