An
Indian national has been sentenced to nine years in prison in the US for a
brazen sexual assault of a woman on an airplane while his wife sat next to him.
Prabhu
Ramamoorthy was sentenced Thursday in a Detroit court, the US Justice
Department said. The 35-year-old, who is in the US on a work visa, will be
deported to India after completing his sentence, it said.
Prosecutors
said Ramamoorthy was sitting in a middle seat on a January overnight flight
from Las Vegas to Detroit, when he digitally penetrated a sleeping woman beside
him as his wife sat on his other side.
The
woman was woken by the assault to find her pants unbuttoned and unzipped, and
sought help from flight attendants.
Crew
members told federal investigators the victim was crying as she reported the
incident 40 minutes before the plane’s landing, according to the Washington Post.
Ramamoorthy
was arrested after the plane touched down.
“Everyone
has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes,” US Attorney
Matthew Schneider said.
“We
will not tolerate the behaviour of anyone who takes advantage of victims who
are in a vulnerable position. We appreciate the victim in this case for her
courage to speak out.”
A
jury convicted Ramamoorthy in August after a five-day trial. He had faced
up to life in prison.
Ramamoorthy
cried as he left the courtroom Thursday, as his victim looked on, sitting
quietly with a comfort dog, the Detroit Free Press reported.
-
AFP
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