Man accused of sexually assaulting woman on Scoot flight from S’pore to Perth, charged after landing

Passenger seeks help from Scoot staff after alleged sexual assault on flight to Perth, man charged

A man has been charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on a Scoot flight from Singapore to Perth on Monday (13 April).

The incident was reported to airline staff, who later alerted authorities.

The man was taken off the plane by police upon arrival and now faces four charges in Australia.

Female passenger moved to another seat after reporting incident

In a joint news release on Tuesday (14 April), the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Western Australia Police Force said a 52-year-old Indian national allegedly committed “non-consensual sexual acts” on a female passenger seated next to him during the flight.

The woman sought help from airline staff, who moved her to another seat.

Airline crew continued to monitor the man for the remainder of the journey and alerted the AFP ahead of landing.

When the plane arrived at Perth Airport, AFP officers met the aircraft and escorted the man off for questioning.

Man faces 4 charges related to alleged offences

On Tuesday (14 April), the man was charged with one count of sexual intercourse without consent.

He also faces three counts of acts of indecency without consent.

The former carries a maximum penalty of 12 years’ imprisonment, while each of the latter offences carries up to seven years’ jail.

AFP Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal said the agency has zero tolerance for criminal behaviour on aircraft and at airports.

He added that anyone subjected to unwanted contact should alert airline staff, police, or airport security as soon as it is safe to do so.

Scoot confirms incident on flight to Perth

In response to MS News’ queries, Scoot confirmed that the incident occurred on board flight TR16 from Singapore to Perth on 13 April.

According to FlightStats, the plane took off at 2.57am and arrived in Perth at 7.59am local time.

“The passenger involved was handed over to the relevant authorities upon arrival in Perth,” a Scoot spokesperson said.

The airline added that it is unable to comment further as the matter is now before the courts.

Also read: Chinese passenger removed from M’sia Airlines flight after allegedly touching flight attendant during dispute

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Featured image adapted from Changi Airport on Facebook, for illustration purposes only.