A police officer allegedly molested three women as they were dancing in a York nightclub, a jury has heard.
PC Martin Brough, 44, deliberately touched all three on the bottom from behind in Popworld, claimed Michael Morley, prosecuting.
None of the three will give evidence because the police do not know who they are, he told York Crown Court.
He played CCTV from the club which the prosecution alleges shows the sexual assaults taking place on the club’s dance floor.
Brough, of Castleford, who is not a member of North Yorkshire Police, denies three charges of sexual assault.
Opening the prosecution against him, Mr Morley alleged that Brough went to the nightclub nearly two years ago with a friend. He was off duty.
PC Martin Brough allegedly sexually assaulted women on the dance floor (Image: Canva)
He went onto the club’s dance floor with a bottle in one hand.
“We suggest from the CCTV which focuses on the defendant’s actions on the dance floor, the defendant can be seen touching the bottoms of three women during a short period of time,” alleged Mr Morley.
He claimed that security staff allegedly noticed women “reacting to something" as Brough passed them and escorted him out of the building.
Outside Brough allegedly told door staff he was a police officer and demanded to see their identification and security staff.
But he wasn’t on duty and therefore they didn’t have to do as he demanded, said Mr Morley.
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On-duty police officers who spoke to him after he was ejected alleged he was intoxicated and told him to go home, the barrister claimed.
The jury heard Brough declined to answer questions when interviewed by police about his visit to Popworld.
The jury was told he is expected to claim that with one of the women he was trying to get her attention by pulling her clothes and that any touching of the other two, if it happened, was accidental.
Mr Morley alleged the women couldn’t have consented to Brough’s actions because of the way he carried the actions out and he was aware they couldn’t have consented.
“The defendant approached these women from behind and therefore they would have had no knowledge of what the defendant was intending to do to them,” claimed the barrister.
The trial continues.