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Plane passenger charged after allegedly assaulting sleeping woman on flight from Los Angeles to Sydney

The 36-year-old man could face up to seven years in prison.
A plane passenger has been charged after allegedly assaulting a sleeping woman on a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. Credit: AFP

Plane passenger charged after allegedly assaulting sleeping woman on flight from Los Angeles to Sydney

The 36-year-old man could face up to seven years in prison.

A passenger has been charged after allegedly assaulting a woman onboard an international flight to Sydney.

The 36-year-old man was on a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney when he allegedly inappropriately touched a woman while she slept on May 29.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the Sydney man had allegedly moved seats to sit in the same row as the sleeping woman, who he did not know.

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He then allegedly touched the woman inappropriately on the thigh and buttock.

“When crew members became aware of the alleged incident, they moved the woman to a different section of the aircraft for the remainder of the flight,” AFP said.

Airline crew reported the man to AFP.

The plane was met by officers, who interviewed the man and witnesses before issuing the man with a court attendance notice for one count of act of indecency without consent.

The maximum penalty for the offence is seven years in prison.

Detective Inspector Dom Stephenson said any allegations of inappropriate or criminal behaviour on land or in the air would be taken seriously and investigated.

“No one on an aircraft should feel unsafe because of the behaviour of other travellers and if someone has committed an offence, the AFP will take action,” Stephenson said.

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