A 40-year-old British man was arrested for allegedly raping a fellow passenger mid-air on a United Airlines flight from Newark to London. The incident took place in the first-class cabin of the flight.
The man was removed from the plane and arrested on the suspicion of rape at the Heathrow airport.
Man Befriended the Victim Before the Flight
The Sun reported that the victim, also a British, and the accused were seated in separate rows in the business class of the plane. Earlier, the pair was spotted talking and drinking in a lounge area before the take off.
A source was quoted by the outlet saying that the woman said she was raped by the passenger during the flight while others were asleep.
"She was distraught and reported it to cabin staff who radioed ahead to police, who were waiting as the plane came in to land. The parties were apparently unknown to each other beforehand but had apparently been seen talking to each other and drinking before and during the flight," said the source.
"She alleged that he then raped her and was said to have been very distressed," it added.
Accused's DNA, Saliva Sample Taken
Detailing the arrest of the accused Britisher, the outlet reported that Met officers went aboard the plane which landed at Heathrow Terminal 2 at 6.30am on Monday last week.
The man, who name has not been released, was arrested and taken to the police station, where his dabs, mugshot and a DNA saliva sample was collected. Later, the authorities also undertook a complete forensic search of the first-class cabin where the alleged crime took place.
Later, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement detailing the incident. "At 06:39hrs on Monday, 31 January police at Heathrow Airport were alerted to an incident on an inbound flight. Officers met the aircraft on arrival and arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of rape. He has been released under investigation.
"The complainant, a 40-year-old woman, is being supported by specialist officers and enquiries are ongoing," it read.
