[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] An Indian passenger who sexually harassed a female Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight attendant twice and then followed her into the galley in a threatening manner has been sentenced to prison.
According to Singapore media outlets, including The Straits Times, A, a 35-year-old Indian national, was sentenced to six months in prison after being charged with sexually harassing and intimidating a flight attendant aboard a Singapore Airlines flight from Thailand to Singapore on February 9.
The court also ordered him to pay 1,270.95 Singapore dollars, or about 1.5 million won, to compensate the victim for emotional distress and medical expenses.
Reports said A boarded the plane with four friends at the time. Throughout the flight, they behaved rowdily and tried to draw attention with exaggerated gestures and laughter whenever female flight attendants passed by.
The first incident occurred before takeoff.
During meal service, A allegedly pretended to place an order and stretched out his arm to touch the upper part of the attendant's thigh.
Shocked by the sudden contact, the attendant reported the incident to a supervisor and was reassigned to another aisle.
However, a second act of sexual harassment occurred during the flight.
As the attendant was collecting meal trays and pushing a cart, A leaned out from his seat and deliberately pressed his elbow against the victim's buttocks.
When the victim immediately objected, A did not apologize. Instead, he reportedly wore a mocking expression.
The situation did not end there.
One of A's friends reportedly laughed after seeing the attendant's flustered expression and said, "I guess we'll need beer to watch this show."
The victim later informed the chief cabin attendant about the incident, and they confronted A together. He denied any wrongdoing, claiming there was nothing inappropriate about his behavior.
Just before landing, A followed the attendant into the narrow galley and, despite the victim's demand to "stay away," moved closer and blocked her path. He was also found to have kept following her as she tried to move away.
In the end, A was arrested by police after landing and was later charged.
At a recent trial, the court sentenced A to six months in prison and ordered him to compensate the victim.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
