A 20-year-old Indian national, identified as Rajat, was sentenced to three weeks in jail for molesting a flight attendant aboard a Singapore Airlines flight from Perth to Changi Airport.
The incident occurred on February 28 around 11:20 AM, when the stewardess was cleaning a restroom. As she bent to pick up toilet paper, Rajat allegedly approached from behind, placed his hands on her hips, and pushed her into the restroom with him. A fellow passenger intervened, pulling the stewardess out and escorting her to safety at the rear of the aircraft.
Rajat, a university student in Australia, was arrested upon arrival at Changi Airport. During court proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Lau emphasized the seriousness of the offence, noting the vulnerability of flight crew in the confined and inescapable environment of an aircraft.
“Commercial air travel is a high-pressure environment involving close physical proximity, where it’s harder to detect or escape unwanted physical contact,” DPP Lau stated.
Rajat’s defence lawyer, Ranjit Singh, appealed for a lighter sentence, citing his client’s previously clean record and academic standing. However, the court imposed a three-week jail term.
Under Singaporean law, molestation can result in up to three years in prison, a fine, caning, or a combination of these penalties.
