Man charged with molesting air stewardess on Singapore Airlines flight
Akash Tiwari allegedly followed the stewardess to the galley after molesting her and cornered her in a confined space.
by Lydia Lam · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
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SINGAPORE: A man was charged on Tuesday (Mar 17) with molesting and harassing an air stewardess on a Singapore Airlines flight on Feb 9.
Akash Tiwari, a 36-year-old Indian national, is accused of using criminal force on the woman by using his body to make contact with the area around her buttocks.
He is also accused of using threatening behaviour by following her to the galley area, cornering her in the confined space and continuing to pursue her, causing her to be distressed.
A gag order was imposed on the identity of the victim. CNA is not specifying more details on the flight as it might lead to the victim being identified by her peers.
When asked to give an indication of his plea, Akash said he was not guilty.
The police said in a statement that they were alerted to the incident that afternoon.
Preliminary investigations showed that the victim was serving the man near his seat when he allegedly touched her inappropriately.
The woman then warned the man to stop touching her and proceeded to the galley to prepare for landing, the police said.
When the man allegedly followed her to the galley and cornered her, the woman shouted at him and left the galley. He allegedly continued to follow her into an aisle and returned to his seat only after she reported the matter to her supervisor.
Officers from the Airport Police Division conducted follow-up investigations and arrested the man on his arrival at Changi Airport.
If convicted of molestation, Akash could be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these punishments.
If convicted of using threatening behaviour and causing distress to the victim, he could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,900), or both.
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