A New South Wales man has been convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to a charge of committing an act of indecency on a domestic flight.
The man, 78, appeared before Southport Magistrates Court on Monday (10 February, 2025) following an AFP investigation into an incident on a flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast on 8 December, 2024.
A female passenger contacted the AFP after arriving at Gold Coast Airport, alleging an unknown man seated beside her had touched her leg without consent multiple times during the flight.
The man was later identified following a review of CCTV footage.
On 13 December, 2024, the AFP issued the man a notice to appear before court for one count of committing an act of indecency without consent, contrary to section 60 of the Crimes Act (Cth).
After pleading guilty, the man received a $1000 fine, and a conviction was recorded.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Yarrow said this type of behaviour was unacceptable in any setting, but could be particularly distressing on a plane, where people were unable to easily move away.
"Members of the public do not deserve to be subjected to unwanted attention under any circumstance, including on a plane," Det a/Supt Yarrow said.
"The AFP encourages anyone subjected to unwanted contact to alert the authorities, be it airline staff, the AFP or airport security, as soon as it is safely possible to do so."
If you require a police presence at an airport, or wish to report an incident or provide information, please call the AFP's Airport Watch on 131 AFP (131 237).
