Man guilty of sex assault on flight as woman slept
Sussex PoliceA man who sexually assaulted a 24-year-old stranger as she slept during a night flight has been found guilty.
Momade Jussab, 66, assaulted his victim after she fell asleep with headphones on, covered in blankets, as she watched a movie on a flight from Doha to Gatwick.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Lewes Crown Court she tried to get Jussab off her after she woke, finding her clothes had been rearranged.
Judge Patricia Hitchcock told Jussab: "You took advantage of her exhaustion to take advantage of her sexually.
"You have shown no remorse."
Jussab, who lives in London but was originally from Mozambique, admitted touching the woman, but told police she had led him on and was "asking for it".
The passengers were complete strangers who exchanged a few words when they boarded the Qatar Airlines plane in Doha on 27 September 2024.
Jussab needed a Portuguese interpreter for the trial.
He told police the young woman was making up the allegations against him.
The judge told Jussab he either did not understand consent or chose to ignore it.
Jussab was convicted of assault by penetration and sexual assault on board the flight.
He will be sentenced in May.
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