Scoot, Jetstar and Singapore Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Singapore’s Changi Airport, Singapore January 18, 2021. Photo by Reuters
An Indian national has been charged in Australia with sexually assaulting a woman seated next to him on a Scoot flight from Singapore to Perth.
The 52-year-old man, identified as Sudhir Kumar Chahuan by Australian daily The West Australianallegedly committed “non-consensual sexual acts” on the woman during the April 13 flight, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
The woman sought help from airline staff and was moved to another seat. Crew members monitored Chahuan for the rest of the flight and alerted police before landing.
Officers from the Australian Federal Police met the plane at Perth Airport and escorted Chahuan off the aircraft for questioning.
He was charged with one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecency without consent under the Crimes (Aviation) Act, which applies provisions of the ACT Crimes Act 1900 to offenses committed on aircraft. Sexual intercourse without consent carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison, while indecency without consent carries up to seven years.
Chahuan appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on April 14 and was remanded in custody ahead of a bail hearing on April 18, The West Australian reported.
The Australian Federal Police and the Western Australia Police Sex Assault Squad are jointly investigating the case.
A Scoot spokesperson said on April 15 that the carrier, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is aware of the incident on Flight TR16, which departed Singapore at about 3 a.m. and landed in Perth at about 8 a.m. Singapore and Perth share the same time zone.
“The passenger involved was handed over to the relevant authorities upon arrival in Perth,” the spokesperson told Mothership.
AFP Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal said every passenger has the right to feel safe while traveling, especially in the confined space of an aircraft.
He urged anyone subjected to unwanted contact to alert airline staff, police or airport security as soon as safely possible.
“No act of indecency on an aircraft or at an airport is appropriate, and any travelers who break the law will be dealt with swiftly,” he said, according to the AFP’s media release.
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