Indian student gets jail time for molesting SIA stewardess on Perth-Singapore Flight
The incident occurred on February 28 when Rajat (one name only), a university student in Australia, was traveling from Perth to Singapore, The Straits Times reported.
At 11.20 am on the day, while the stewardess was cleaning a restroom and bent down to pick up toilet paper, Rajat placed both his hands on her hips near her buttocks and pushed his way into the toilet, forcing her inside as well.
A female passenger who witnessed the incident quickly pulled the stewardess out of the restroom and took her to the back of the plane to help her recompose and avoid further contact with Rajat.
Despite his actions, Rajat later requested to speak privately with the stewardess.
Rajat was arrested upon the plane's arrival at Changi Airport.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Lau, who sought a prison term of three to six weeks, noted that the stewardess suffered psychological harm, feeling afraid, disgusted, and humiliated by the incident.
The prosecution highlighted the aggravating factor that the offence was committed on an aircraft, describing commercial air travel as "a high-pressure environment involving close physical proximity" where it's harder to detect unwanted contact and victims have no means of escape or access to law enforcement mid-flight.
Defence lawyer Ranjit Singh argued for a fine or a short one-week custodial sentence, citing his client's clean record and good conduct at school.
Under Singapore law, those convicted of molestation can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of these punishments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Charges against Zara's alleged bullies could change with new evidence, says minister
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the inquest is to establish the cause of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir's death and not to find fault. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Charges against the five teenage girls for allegedly verbally bullying Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir may be amended if new evidence emerges, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said today. He said it was not unusual for charges to be amended during the course of proceedings. 'Of course, the charges can be amended. It's a normal part of the legal process. Sometimes the accused is initially charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code (for murder), which is later reduced to Section 304 (for culpable homicide not amounting to murder). 'That's how the process works,' he said when winding up the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat for his ministry. He was responding to a question from Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN-Alor Setar) on whether the charges could be revised should new evidence surface during the inquest into Zara's death. Saifuddin said the inquest was intended to establish the cause of Zara's death and that it was not an exercise in finding fault. Earlier today, the five teenagers were charged in the children's court in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, with verbally abusing Zara, who died last month. They were charged with uttering abusive words against the victim which could have caused her distress. They are accused of committing the offence at Block A-3-6 of SMK Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Limauan, Papar, between 10pm and 11pm on July 15. Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after allegedly falling from the third floor of her school's hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu the following day. Her body was exhumed on Aug 9 to allow for a post-mortem amid allegations of bullying. The Attorney-General's Chambers yesterday defended its decision to charge the five teenagers, clarifying that the charges under Section 507C(1) of the Penal Code related specifically to acts of bullying and were not connected to Zara's death. The AGC also dismissed a suggestion by lawyers representing Zara's family that further investigations or an inquest could later justify a more serious charge under Section 507D(2), saying this was 'speculative and not supported by accurate facts'. The lawyers had urged the AGC to postpone the charges against the five minors.
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Differentiate between right and wrong, Sarawak DAP Youth tells ‘peacemakers'
Sarawak DAP Youth said it had raised concerns and upheld justice in the matter of the upside-down Jalur Gemilang. PETALING JAYA : Sarawak DAP Youth today urged those attempting to play the peacemaker in DAP's spat with Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh over the upside-down Jalur Gemilang gaffe to differentiate between right and wrong. In a statement, it said Akmal had continuously gone overboard, without basis, while the party, on the other hand, had raised concerns and upheld justice. 'To label both parties as culprits is wrong,' it said. The wing gave the example of a situation involving an arsonist and a person who lodged a report against him, only to be accused of sowing hatred, saying this would be unreasonable. 'It is therefore unfair to lump Akmal and DAP Youth together,' it said. While Sarawak DAP Youth did not identify anyone in particular, its statement came two days after a DAP central executive committee member urged parties not to be distracted by the tiff over the upside-down Jalur Gemilang but to focus on more pressing matters instead. Banting assemblyman V Papparaidu said that parties in the government, even Umno, were no longer in the opposition and should focus on economic growth and other national matters. He added that friction in the unity coalition would not augur well with the Sabah state election just around the corner and the next general election not too far away. Papparaidu also said that 'no one should attempt to seek cheap publicity by highlighting the flag issue'. Akmal is under investigation for sedition and criminal intimidation over a video he posted related to the shop owner in Penang who accidentally hung the Jalur Gemilang upside down. Several DAP Youth chapters have called for the party to sever ties with Akmal, including Sarawak DAP Youth.
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
FB page apologises for linking Sabah minister to Zara case
Sabah science, technology and innovation minister Arifin Arif is the son-in-law of Sabah governor Musa Aman. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The administrator of a Facebook page named Sabahan News Online has apologised to Sabah minister Arifin Arif for linking him to the case involving Zara Qairina Mahathir, who died last month. In a Facebook post, the admin said it retracted every statement it had made against Arifin related to the case, adding that the state science, technology and innovation minister was a 'victim of misunderstanding all this while'. It also apologised for linking Sabah governor Musa Aman to the case through Arifin, who is Musa's son-in-law. 'We wholeheartedly apologise and will make this post a point of reference for the public so that all parties would understand (that Arifin is not linked to the case in any way). 'Every effort and attempt to link the governor and others to the case was a mistake and we deeply regret doing so,' it said. It also expressed hope that this would alleviate the unhappiness of netizens with the page for making the allegations. Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after allegedly falling from the third floor of her school's hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu the following day. Her body was exhumed on Aug 9 to allow for a post-mortem amid allegations of bullying. This morning, five teenage girls claimed trial in the children's court in Kota Kinabalu to uttering abusive words against the victim which could have caused her distress.
