Man, 73, molests 4 SIA crew members on 17-hour flight, gets 9 months' jail

In the early hours of Nov. 18, 2024, female crew members onboard flight SQ31 from San Francisco to Singapore grew wary of the man in seat 51H.

Sometime during the 17-hour journey in the air, word had gotten around that Balasubramanian Ramesh had touched a total of four flight attendants inappropriately, turning their familiar workspace into an unsafe place.

The 73-year-old did so because their looks had caught his eye, according to court documents.

The first time

Balasubramanian first struck at 3:30am.

The victim, a 25-year-old air stewardess, was pushing a meal cart past Balasubramanian's seat.

Seizing the "opportune" moment, the elderly man reached out and placed his hand on her backside twice, over her clothing.

Feeling discomforted from his brazen actions, the violated flight attendant walked away.

But that wasn't the end of Balasubramanian's offences.

Continued with the same MO

Five minutes later, he spied another flight attendant bending over to serve a passenger seated across the aisle from him.

The 26-year-old was "shocked" when she felt Balasubramanian's hand pass over her rear twice.

The next two-and-a-half hours would see the man molesting her another three times.

This left her "extremely annoyed and harassed".

The lingering effects of his actions

By 9:30am, Balasubramanian had his eye on his third victim.

This time, a 31-year-old flight attendant was helping the passenger seated next to him with his in-flight entertainment system.

While she was occupied, Balasubramanian put his hand on her right upper thigh.

Reeling backwards in shock, the victim likewise took her leave from the area, but was unable to shake the distress she felt even nine hours later.

Confronted at last

Balasubramanian's fourth victim readily stepped back when he touched her upper thigh as well.

The 29-year-old was helping a passenger beside him adjust their seat for landing, but had been on guard after being forewarned by her colleagues.

She then confronted Balasubramanian, who denied molesting her.

His denial failed to grant him any reprieve from the law, however, as the victim's supervisor reported the matter to the SIA Control Centre, which referred the case to the airport police.

Balasubramanian was arrested on the same day.

Just in the "spur of the moment": Defence

Balasubramanian pleaded guilty to four counts of molestation.

Seeking to shave off some parts of his client's sentence, Balasubramanian's lawyer posited that he'd made "positive contributions" to society as a bank manager for a "reputable" bank in India, reported CNA.

Balasubramanian's actions had been executed in the "spur of the moment", he argued.

This defence was shot down by the judge, who pointed out that the accused had repeated said actions over 14 hours.

Court documents also stated that Balasubramanian had not ingested any alcohol on the flight and was aware of what he was doing.

The man was sentenced to nine months' jail on Apr. 2.

Top image via javiercanada/Unsplash