Bussinessman avoids jail after sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl on flight to Switzerland
A businessman has avoided jail after he carried out a horrific sex attack on a 15-year-old girl while she was asleep on a flight to Switzerland.
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The attacker, 44, was convicted of attacking the schoolgirl, who sat next to him during the nine-hour journey from Mumbai to Zurich.
The married man, from India, had a brief conversation with the teenager before she fell asleep.
He then approached the victim and performed sex acts on her and himself.
Zurich Public Prosecutors state the man, who was on a business trip to Belgium, repeatedly touched the victim, who didn't respond, and put his arm around her.
As the flight continued, the girl lent back in her seat and continued to sleep with her head and upper body under a blanket.
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As the man carried out the attack, the girl woke up and went 'into shock' due to the abusive behaviour and was unable to say or do anything, the indictment said.
This means she endured the assault without saying a word or moving until the accused let go of her.
The indictment did not disclose how the man's crimes were discovered, but he was immediately arrested after the plane arrived at Zurich Airport.
In the Bülach District Court, he confessed to the attack and stated he realised he had made a mistake.
He also admitted that the young woman had not consented and said he knew she was young, even though he didn't know her exact age.
The man was convicted of rape and sexual acts with a child and he received a suspended sentence of one and a half years.
However, he will not need to serve it as he has been in custody since March.
The judge described the sentence as rather lenient and 'barely appropriate'.
The man is banned from entering Switzerland for the next five years and is prohibited from engaging in any activity involving regular contact with minors for life.
The proceedings will cost him approximately CHF 9,000 (£8,250).
A confiscated amount of CHF 1,360 (£1,247) taken from the man will be used to cover these costs.
After the trial, the man was released from custody and handed over to the Migration Office for deportation.