Man Rapes Sleeping Passenger On Red-Eye Flight From The US

A British man in a transcontinental flight to the United Kingdom was arrested on Monday, Feb. 7, after he reportedly raped a woman that he met before the flight boarded while everyone else was sleeping.

The 40-year-old man, whose name has not been released to the public, did not know the woman beforehand, and they reportedly met before the flight itself in Newark, New Jersey after which they were seen talking to each other at the cabin lounge’s bar during the flight, according to Sky News.

In the middle of the flight, however, while everyone else was sleeping, the man left his row in business class and went to the woman’s row on the plane to allegedly rape her. She was reportedly in a lot of distress when she reported the assault to the cabin crew, the Daily Beast reported.

“The woman said she was raped by the passenger during the flight while others were asleep. She was distraught and reported it to cabin staff, who radioed ahead to police, who were waiting as the plane came in to land,” an unnamed police source said.

United Airlines confirmed that their employees had called ahead to get the police officers waiting as the flight landed, and promised that their crew and company will cooperate fully with the investigation at hand.

The British man was immediately arrested once the plane landed in Heathrow Aiport, after which the man was questioned regarding the incident and his account of the events. The man was then released pending a full investigation.

“Officers met the aircraft on arrival and arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of rape. He has been released under investigation. The complainant, a 40-year-old woman, is being supported by specialist officers and inquiries are ongoing,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

It is unclear if the woman is planning on pursuing a case against the suspect.