SINGAPORE: A 20-year-old man who allegedly molested a stewardess on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight and shoved her into a restroom with him was handed a molestation charge on April 22.
Indian national Rajat, who goes by only one name, is accused of committing the offence at around 11.20am on Feb 28.
Court documents did not state where the plane had departed from.
Police said on April 21 that the 28-year-old cabin crew member was escorting a female passenger to a restroom when she noticed a piece of tissue paper on the floor.
“As the female crew (member) bent forward to pick it up, the man allegedly appeared behind her, grasped her, and pushed her into the lavatory with him,” said a police spokesperson in a statement.
“The female passenger, who witnessed the incident, helped the (woman) out of the lavatory immediately. The incident was then reported to the cabin supervisor.”
Officers from the Airport Police Division arrested Rajat when the plane landed at Changi Airport.
He is expected to plead guilty on May 14.
This is the second reported case in The Straits Times in April involving molestation on board a flight.
On April 2, retiree Balasubramanian Ramesh, 73, who is an Indian national, was sentenced to nine months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to four molestation charges, each involving one SIA stewardess.
Three other similar charges involving one of the four victims, whom he molested on four separate occasions, were considered during his sentencing.
He had molested the four cabin crew members on board a flight from San Francisco to Singapore in November 2024 as he found them attractive.
Balasubramanian, who used to work as a manager in a bank in India, had not consumed alcoholic drinks during the flight, the court heard.
For each count of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.
Balasubramanian cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old. - The Straits Times/ANN
