An acting lieutenant colonel has denied sexually assaulting a transgender woman in an upmarket pub.

Samuel Hughes, 38, told a court how he had gone to the bar in the Ubiquitous Chip, in Glasgow’s Ashton Lane on November 14, 2014, after he had been on a date.

He said he saw a woman he recognised and ended up speaking to two other women who were sitting beside her, including the alleged victim.

Hughes claimed the alleged victim was joking with him for being “military”, and that she told him to be “more flamboyant” and touched his chest area.

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He told the court that in a “slightly camp” manner, he touched her back again on the chest area, and said “oh stop it”.

The officer denies touching her breast in the west end pub as is alleged and is on trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

In earlier evidence the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, claimed Army officer Hughes did touch her breast. She also alleged he made a number of transphobic remarks. He has, however, been cleared of that charge.

Hughes denies the sexual assault charge and said “the breast did not occur to me at all”.

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In evidence he said the woman told him that she had gone through a change, from male to female, and had spent £40,000 to look the way she did.

Hughes was asked what happened in the pub that evening and said that there was “slight mocking” of him for being “quite military”.

Asked what the alleged victim said to him, Hughes told the sheriff: “Perhaps you could be a bit more flamboyant like me’ and leant over to me and as I recall touched me here (on his chest) at that time.”

Defence counsel Sarah Livingstone asked: “What did you do?” Hughes replied: “In a similar jokey way, as I am also making my way past to go to the toilet I repeated what she had done to me and said “oh stop it” in a similarly flamboyant way.”

Ms Livingstone asked: “Slightly camp?” and he replied: “Slightly camp.” He was asked if there was anything he did that he considered to be sexual and said “no”.

The court was told he “mimicked” what she did to him. The court heard days later he was advised the police would want to speak to him so contacted them and made arrangements to talk to them.

He fought back tears when his defence counsel asked how the allegation has affected him.

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He said: “On an emotional side I have had to explain to colleagues, friends and also the structure of the army which deal with promotions – which was happening at that time – and say what had happened.

“My integrity has been unfairly called in to question and that makes me very angry. Most of all I have had to go and explain to my parents what had happened.”

Under cross-examination by procurator fiscal depute Stuart Fauré he denied the touch was a “crude medical examination”.

It was put to him: “You saw her as a person of ridicule” but Hughes said: “No, that’s not true.”

Mr Hughes said: “I did not touch her breast in my opinion.” The prosecutor said: “But you did touch her chest” and he answered: “It was in the chest area.”

In earlier evidence the alleged victim’s partner at the time gave evidence at court but made it clear that she did no want to be there.

The 51-year-old said she was scared of her former partner and claimed she was “coerced” into giving a statement.

She said: “My statement, which I gave to the police – I was very, very frighted and I was coerced and I was coached by (ex partner).”

The woman claimed her former girlfriend “told her the key words” and that because of the domestic situation she went along with it.

The witness added: “She said she could make some money out of it.” The trial before sheriff David Young QC continues.