A RETIRED police officer has 'absolutely' denied carrying out a series of sexual assaults on a number of women while he was the captain of his local golf club.

Malcolm Fawcett, who is facing 11 charges against four women, admitted that he could be 'crass and unprofessional' but strenuously denied all of the charges.

The 57-year-old told Teesside Crown Court that he accepted that he may have overstepped the mark with some of the victim's but denied doing anything sexually inappropriate and apologised profusely when the issue was first raised with him.

During his trial, he said he would regularly hug women to offer them encouragement and 'they never gave the impression that they didn't like it'.

His barrister, Caroline Goodwin QC, asked if he had ever kissed any of the women on the lips – 'absolutely never', he replied.

She asked how he felt when one of the golf club's officials, Neil Tiplady, raised the issue of the women;s complainants about his behaviour.

He said: "He said to me that some of the girls are not happy with you putting your arms around them – it makes them feel uncomfortable. I was shocked – it rocked me back on me heels.

"I wanted to apologise, I never meant to upset them or cause any upset whatsoever."

What asked if he had spoken to one of the alleged victims and how it made him feel. Fawcett replied: "I was destroyed to be honest, because I thought we had a good relationship – I was absolutely flabbergasted."

The court heard that Fawcett, who had retired from Durham Police in May 2015 after almost 20 years' service, apologised to all the women concerned and thought that would have been the end of it.

Asked by Ms Goodwin how he felt after making his apologises, Fawcett replied: "I was petrified of them; I was petrified of the situation – I kept them at arms length.

"I was absolutely horrified, I was rocked on my feet. I realised what I had done and what made the girls feel uncomfortable."

Taking the defendant through the charges, Miss Goodwin asked whether he had 'put his cold hands down her top. "That's absolutely not the case." Did you 'dry humped' one of the women? "Absolutely not," he replied. She asked: "Did you grab her from behind?" He simply replied: "Absolutely not."

The court heard that Fawcett was suspended by the golf club in July last year and had his membership cancelled in October following the complaints made by the four women.

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 last year.

The trial continues.