Indian Man Who Molested A Woman Onboard SIA Says He Didn't "Know The Laws Of Singapore"
He has been sentenced to six months in jail.
By Sadho Ram — 20 Oct 2018, 02:26 PM
A 23-year-old Indian man, who molested a 31-year-old woman sleeping next to him onboard a Singapore Airlines flight (SIA), claims he didn't "know the laws of Singapore" and that he was "drunk, high and tempted" to touch the woman's breast
During the incident, while the woman was asleep on a window seat onboard flight from Bengaluru to Bali with a transit stop in Singapore, she felt a hand on her right breast.
She woke up immediately to notice it was the man, Ravichandran Vignesh, sitting next to her. When she shouted at him, he then removed his hand and pretended to sleep.
After the incident, the SIA cabin crew moved the woman, as per her request, to an empty seat at the back. She later sent feedback via SIA's online form detailing the incident and also sent an email to the Deputy Commander of the Airport Police Division.
Next day, she lodged a formal police complaint with the Airport Police Division.
He was arrested during his transit through Singapore from Bali
While the incident took place on 1 October, the man was arrested on 4 October.
At the State Courts on Thursday, 18 October, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Amanda Han said that Ravichandran had committed the offence at a confined space where the victim had nowhere to escape to. She asked for a six months jail term.
While the Indian national pleaded guilty to the molestation charge, he sought leniency saying that he came from a poor family and it was his first time taking a flight. He asked to be sent back to India.
Ravichandran promised that he would never again "touch any woman".
"I do not know the laws of Singapore. I have not done this back home in India before.
"I will not touch any woman again. I will not travel overseas again. I will not come back to Singapore again," Ravichandran was reported saying by Yahoo News.
