A 20-year-old Indonesian national has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and three strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to molesting a teenage passenger on a commercial flight to Singapore.
The sentencing took place in a Singapore district court on June 3, following an incident on an international flight where the prosecutor stated the offender “weaponized his proximity” to a vulnerable victim.
Outrage of Modesty on Okinawa-Singapore Flight
According to ST, Ariel Lhudfiyan Muarifin, was employed as a construction worker in Okinawa, Japan. On April 15, he boarded a Scoot flight from Okinawa bound for Singapore, with the ultimate intention of transiting back to his home country of Indonesia.
Ariel was seated directly next to the victim, a 17-year-old girl residing in Thailand who was also using Singapore as a transit hub to return home, as per the court documents.
The prosecution stated that during the flight, the victim’s left arm and leg accidentally came into contact with Ariel’s body, which the defendant claimed gave him the “urge” to touch her.
Offender Persisted While Victim ‘Pretended to Sleep’
The court heard that while the teenager was asleep, Ariel began touching her intimately, including her thigh, abdomen, hip, and breast.
When the victim woke up, she attempted to shift away from him. Terrified and unsure of how to react in the confined aircraft cabin, she turned around and continued to pretend to sleep in hopes that the assault would stop.
Undeterred by her attempts to move, Ariel persisted with the molestation, continuing to touch her back.
“By then, the victim stated that she felt extremely scared, violated, uncomfortable, trapped, and helpless,” Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Lee told the court.
The teenager eventually managed to leave her seat and report the behavior to a Scoot air stewardess, who immediately reassigned her to a different row. Following airline protocol, Scoot staff filed an official police report, and Singapore authorities arrested Ariel upon the aircraft’s arrival at Changi International Airport that same day.
Prosecution Condemns ‘Weaponized Proximity’
In seeking a strict sentence of 14 to 16 months’ imprisonment alongside three to five strokes of the cane, DPP Gabriel Lee emphasized the predatory nature of the crime, highlighting that mid-air environments leave victims with nowhere to run. He argued that Ariel had actively exploited the close quarters of commercial economy seating to commit the offense.
Speaking through an interpreter, Ariel made a plea for leniency directly to the judge during his mitigation.
Under Chapter 224 of Singapore’s Penal Code, an individual convicted of outrage of modesty (molestation) can face a maximum penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine, caning, or a combination of these punishments.
The judge ultimately ordered a sentence of 15 months in jail and three strokes of the cane.
Image via Google
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