Indian man convicted of sexual assault on Spirit Airlines

[Staysafebro]

Jury convicts man for sexually assaulting a woman on a plane as his wife sat next to him

 

 

 

A Spirit Airlines plane. (Bill Montgomery/Houston Chronicle/AP)

By Alex Horton

, Reporter

August 18 at 12:43 PM

It was a late-night flight from Las Vegas, and the woman rested her head on the window as the plane neared Detroit.

She was startled awake by the man in the middle seat next to her. His hand was down her unbuttoned pants, and her shirt was undone.

The 22-year-old woman fled to the back of the plane to alert flight attendants.

But first she had to get past two obstacles: Prabhu Ramamoorthy, the man in the middle seat, and his wife in the aisle seat — an arm’s length away from a chill-inducing Jan. 3 incident later described in court.

A federal jury convicted Ramamoorthy, 35, of sexual abuse on the Spirit Airlines flight. Ramamoorthy, an Indian national in the United States on a work visa, faces up to life in prison. He will be deported after serving his sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said in a statement.

“Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes. We will not tolerate the behavior of anyone who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position, and we are glad the jury agreed,” Schneider said. “We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out.”

Jurors deliberated 3½ hours before returning their decision, he said.

[Sexual assaults on airplanes are increasing, FBI warns summer travelers]

Ramamoorthy initially told investigators he had taken a pill and fallen into a deep sleep. He said he hadn’t done anything besides learning from his wife that the woman, who was not named in the complaint, was sleeping on his knees.

He and his wife later acknowledged the pill was plain Tylenol, according to prosecutors, and gave conflicting reports of what happened. His wife told investigators that she asked to switch seats because of the woman falling asleep, but the attendants told authorities no one else had asked to switch seats other than the victim. The wife was not named.

Ramamoorthy told an FBI agent he “might have” unhooked the woman’s bra and then unzipped her pants, the complaint said. He tried to put his fingers inside the woman, he said, but he told the investigator he was unsuccessful.

But the prosecution presented evidence Ramamoorthy penetrated the woman with his fingers, Schneider said.

Ramamoorthy could not be reached for comment. His attorney James Amberg and Spirit Airlines did not return a request for comment.

In the trial, Amberg said his client’s understanding of the legal process was based on Indian law. Ramamoorthy believed anything he told police was inadmissible in court, according to a motion Amberg filed to suppress Ramamoorthy’s statements.

He also believed he would be tortured unless he gave incriminating statements, the motion said. Amberg cited “Visaranai,” a 2015 Indian film about corrupt police using violence to coerce guilty pleas, as evidence of Ramamoorthy’s belief he faced a similar threat in the United States.

It is not clear if Ramamoorthy will appeal the conviction.

The FBI, which investigates crimes on aircraft, has said sexual assault in the air has increased in recent years. There were 63 reports of sexual assault on flights last year, the agency said, up from 38 in 2014.

David Rodski, an FBI special agent assigned to investigate crimes out of Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, said many incidents either go unreported or victims take time to alert authorities, The Washington Post’s Lynh Bui reported in June.

“Hit that call button . . . notify the flight crew immediately,” Rodski said.

Eli Rosenberg contributed to this report.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/08/18/jury-convicts-man-for-sexually-assaulting-a-woman-on-a-plane-as-his-wife-sat-next-to-him/?utm_term=.c42c62f128bd

[coca-cola]

flight lo wife undagaa antha cinema undha antaaa...enti gaali vimanam

[Staysafebro]

[coca-cola]

Endho ippudu pillagadi life ..

[Staysafebro]

1 minute ago, coca-cola said:

flight lo wife undagaa antha cinema undha antaaa...enti gaali vimanam

Too much daring. India lo unna behavior ikkada kooda choopinchadu..

 

[Staysafebro]

1 minute ago, coca-cola said:

Endho ippudu pillagadi life ..

Life sentence anta.. maximum 20 years untundhi..non based on judge and other circumstances 

[coca-cola]

1 minute ago, Staysafebro said:

Too much daring. India lo unna behavior ikkada kooda choopinchadu..

 

Naku edho cooked up laga anipisthundhi ....evidences Ela present chesar ani ee case lo assalu .

[Staysafebro]

10 minutes ago, coca-cola said:

Naku edho cooked up laga anipisthundhi ....evidences Ela present chesar ani ee case lo assalu .

Emo mari ... techniques untayi kada ?

[MRI]

12 minutes ago, coca-cola said:

Naku edho cooked up laga anipisthundhi ....evidences Ela present chesar ani ee case lo assalu .

cooked up em vundi bro.. victim and flight attendants cheppaka.. malli Indian drama play chestunnadu.. India lo laaga kodataru anukunna ani..

[MRI]

kaani buttons kinda paina teesi vellu pettentha varaku feeling telikunda ela vuntunnaru.. idi suspicious ga anipistadi ilanti incidents lo..

[chittimallu2]

ee stories lo nijam entha undo ardham kadu and im genuinely scared about these incidents...

Oka sari nenu ilage flight lo elthunte I was sitting in the middle seat and naa pakkana window seat lo oka too hot pori koorchundi, she seemed to be a college girl....aisle side inkoka ammai koorchundi she was decent looking but a little elder.... naku pack aindi ee incidents anni gurthochi.... aa colg pilla almost flight motham padukune undi, she seemed very tired.... so nenu aa rendo ammai tho flight motham matladthane unna..... enduku vachina thala noppi ani

[raithu_bidda1]

Life sentence or death on current chair 

[reality]

8 minutes ago, chittimallu2 said:

ee stories lo nijam entha undo ardham kadu and im genuinely scared about these incidents...

Oka sari nenu ilage flight lo elthunte I was sitting in the middle seat and naa pakkana window seat lo oka too hot pori koorchundi, she seemed to be a college girl....aisle side inkoka ammai koorchundi she was decent looking but a little elder.... naku pack aindi ee incidents anni gurthochi.... aa colg pilla almost flight motham padukune undi, she seemed very tired.... so nenu aa rendo ammai tho flight motham matladthane unna..... enduku vachina thala noppi ani

But the prosecution presented evidence Ramamoorthy penetrated the woman with his fingers, Schneider said.

[chittimallu2]

10 minutes ago, raithu_bidda1 said:

Life sentence or death on current chair 

endhi dheeniki life esthaara

 

7 minutes ago, reality said:

But the prosecution presented evidence Ramamoorthy penetrated the woman with his fingers, Schneider said.

Okay, I didnt know that but general ga these cases sound shady to me sometimes... 

[speedracer]

1 hour ago, Staysafebro said:

Jury convicts man for sexually assaulting a woman on a plane as his wife sat next to him

 

 

 

A Spirit Airlines plane. (Bill Montgomery/Houston Chronicle/AP)

By Alex Horton

, Reporter

August 18 at 12:43 PM

It was a late-night flight from Las Vegas, and the woman rested her head on the window as the plane neared Detroit.

She was startled awake by the man in the middle seat next to her. His hand was down her unbuttoned pants, and her shirt was undone.

The 22-year-old woman fled to the back of the plane to alert flight attendants.

But first she had to get past two obstacles: Prabhu Ramamoorthy, the man in the middle seat, and his wife in the aisle seat — an arm’s length away from a chill-inducing Jan. 3 incident later described in court.

A federal jury convicted Ramamoorthy, 35, of sexual abuse on the Spirit Airlines flight. Ramamoorthy, an Indian national in the United States on a work visa, faces up to life in prison. He will be deported after serving his sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said in a statement.

“Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes. We will not tolerate the behavior of anyone who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position, and we are glad the jury agreed,” Schneider said. “We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out.”

Jurors deliberated 3½ hours before returning their decision, he said.

[Sexual assaults on airplanes are increasing, FBI warns summer travelers]

Ramamoorthy initially told investigators he had taken a pill and fallen into a deep sleep. He said he hadn’t done anything besides learning from his wife that the woman, who was not named in the complaint, was sleeping on his knees.

He and his wife later acknowledged the pill was plain Tylenol, according to prosecutors, and gave conflicting reports of what happened. His wife told investigators that she asked to switch seats because of the woman falling asleep, but the attendants told authorities no one else had asked to switch seats other than the victim. The wife was not named.

Ramamoorthy told an FBI agent he “might have” unhooked the woman’s bra and then unzipped her pants, the complaint said. He tried to put his fingers inside the woman, he said, but he told the investigator he was unsuccessful.

But the prosecution presented evidence Ramamoorthy penetrated the woman with his fingers, Schneider said.

Ramamoorthy could not be reached for comment. His attorney James Amberg and Spirit Airlines did not return a request for comment.

In the trial, Amberg said his client’s understanding of the legal process was based on Indian law. Ramamoorthy believed anything he told police was inadmissible in court, according to a motion Amberg filed to suppress Ramamoorthy’s statements.

He also believed he would be tortured unless he gave incriminating statements, the motion said. Amberg cited “Visaranai,” a 2015 Indian film about corrupt police using violence to coerce guilty pleas, as evidence of Ramamoorthy’s belief he faced a similar threat in the United States.

It is not clear if Ramamoorthy will appeal the conviction.

The FBI, which investigates crimes on aircraft, has said sexual assault in the air has increased in recent years. There were 63 reports of sexual assault on flights last year, the agency said, up from 38 in 2014.

David Rodski, an FBI special agent assigned to investigate crimes out of Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, said many incidents either go unreported or victims take time to alert authorities, The Washington Post’s Lynh Bui reported in June.

“Hit that call button . . . notify the flight crew immediately,” Rodski said.

Eli Rosenberg contributed to this report.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/08/18/jury-convicts-man-for-sexually-assaulting-a-woman-on-a-plane-as-his-wife-sat-next-to-him/?utm_term=.c42c62f128bd

 

Reasons for this behavior :

Dowry, caste based arranged marriages

no dating prior to marriage 

restrictive culture 

too much reliance on beating