A man has been charged with sexual assault of a woman sat next to him on an international flight from Singapore to Perth. Australian police arrested the man at Perth Airport (PER) on April 13, 2026.
Swift Action by Flight Staff and Australian Police
In an official joint release between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Western Australia Police Force (WA), it was announced that Australian police arrested a man at Perth Airport, who had been accused of sexual assault. The incident occurred aboard an international flight from Singapore to Perth on April 13.
The female passenger requested assistance from staff aboard the aircraft, alerting them to the situation, and was promptly relocated to a different seat for her safety and comfort. Following this, the staff maintained surveillance of the accused individual, who is a 52 year old, for the remaining duration of the flight.
The AFP were quickly notified, and officers were stationed at Perth Airport, ready to meet the plane upon its arrival and escort the man from the aircraft for questioning. Acting Superintendent for the AFP Peter Brindal emphasised the zero tolerance policy for criminal behaviour aboard any aircraft or within Australian airports that the AFP upholds. In the official release, Peter Brindal commented:
“Every passenger has the right to feel safe when travelling, especially when confined in an aircraft close to other passengers. Anyone subjected to unwanted contact is encouraged to alert the authorities, be it airline staff, the AFP or airport security, as soon as it is safely possible to do so.”
Unacceptable Behaviour
According to the release, the accused faced Perth Magistrates Court on April 14. The AFP and WA Police planned to allege that the man committed non-consensual sexual acts on the female passenger seated beside him on the flight. When arrested, he was charged with one count of sexual intercourse without consent, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years, and three counts of an act of indecency without consent, which carries a maximum sentence of 7 years.
Peter Brindal underlined in his statement:
“No act of indecency on an aircraft or at an airport is appropriate, and any travellers who break the law will be dealt with swiftly.”
The AFP promote a “See it. Hear it. Report it.” approach to encourage all prospective air transport passengers to play an active role in identifying and preventing threats aboard flights and when navigating airports.
Have you adopted the “See it. Hear it. Report it.” approach when travelling? Let us know in the comments below
