Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Travel Safety

Airline passenger jailed for 'despicable' sexual assault on female flier

By Michael Bartiromo Fox News
Published
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for May 10 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for May 10

Fox News Flash top headlines for May 10 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com

A tourist who sexually assaulted a woman on a February flight from Mumbai to Manchester has been sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Hardeep Singh, originally from Hoshiarpur, India, was apprehended upon landing at England’s Manchester Airport on Feb. 23, after police say he targeted a 20-something woman seated next to him and “subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault,” per the BBC.

STUDENT PILOT FLEW 40 MINUTES WHILE UNCONSCIOUS, REPORT SAYS

Singh, who was seated closer to the aisle, had first asked the woman if her mother was seated nearby. He had also refused to move when she needed to get up, making her squeeze past him instead.

Later, police say Singh waited until the cabin lights were dimmed, and many of the other passengers were asleep – including the victim – to carry out his assault, pinning her in her seat and trying to place his hands underneath her clothing. He was also trying to kiss her, the BBC reported.

Police said the assault lasted around 15 minutes.

Hardeep Singh was arrested and sentenced to a year in jail after admitting to three counts of assault.

Hardeep Singh was arrested and sentenced to a year in jail after admitting to three counts of assault. (Police handout)

“From the outset of the flight, Singh’s behavior was despicable,” said Detective Constable Catherine Evans of the Greater Manchester Police, according to the Manchester Evening News.

"Numbed with fear, it was only after [the woman] summoned the strength to overpower him that she was able to run away and raise the alarm,” Evans added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Singh was sentenced to a year in jail at a sentencing hearing on Thursday, after admitting to three counts of sexual assault. He was said to be visiting the U.K. on a six-month tourist visa.