A 71-year-old man is in trouble with the law in Australia. He’s accused of touching a woman without her permission on a flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne.
The police say the woman was trying to sleep on the long flight when the man bothered her. This happened on Monday, September 22.
When the plane landed, the police were waiting. They arrested the man and charged him with indecent behavior.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said that the woman told the flight crew that the man had inappropriately touched her and reached inside her clothes while she was asleep. The crew moved the woman to another seat and told the police about what happened.
The man, named Mounir Botros, appeared in court via video.
The police said that this kind of behavior could lead to a seven-year prison sentence.
Botros’ lawyer had tried to keep the news from being reported, saying it was causing him stress. But she later dropped this request.
A police officer, Stephen Cook, said that they take these kinds of accusations very seriously, whether they happen on land or in the air. He wants people to feel safe when they travel and know that the police will take action if something wrong is reported.
The case has been put off until November to give the prosecutors more time to get their evidence together. Botros is currently out on bail.
