NEW YORK – A 35-year-old Indian IT manager has been convicted of sexuallyassaulting a sleeping woman aboard a Detroit-bound flight in the US, mediareports said today, PTI has said.
Prabhu Ramamoorthy, who worked for an IT company for over two years, willbe sentenced on December 12 by US District Judge Terrence Berg, The DetroitNews REPORTED.
Ramamoorthy faces up to life in prison. If released, he will be deported toIndia.
The verdict came seven months after he assaulted the 22-year-old womanduring a Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas while his wife sat in thenext seat, the report said.
A federal jury in Michigan’s largest city Detroit convicted Ramamoorthy,who lived in Rochester Hills city, of sexually assaulting the woman.
Following a five-day trial, the jury deliberated for less than four hoursbefore convicting Ramamoorthy, it said.
“We will not tolerate the behaviour of anyone who takes advantage ofvictims who are in a vulnerable position, and we are glad the jury agreed,”US Attorney Matthew Schneider said in a statement.
“We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out,”Schneider said.
The woman said she was sitting in a window seat next to Ramamoorthy, whosewife was in the aisle seat.
The victim said that she fell asleep and woke up to discover a hand in herpants and noticed that her pants were unbuttoned and her shirt untied. Whenshe woke up, the man stopped, and the woman alerted a flight attendant, thereport said.
Ramamoorthy initially told investigators that he was in a deep sleep anddid not do anything, it said.
Later, he told an FBI agent he “might have” undone the woman’s bra andcupped her breast, according to court records, the report added.