British Airways Pilot on Trial for Underage Sex in Thailand and India

The pilot is accused of meeting underage boys during stopovers in Asia.

A former British Airways captain stands accused of soliciting underage boys for sex while stopping over in India and Thailand. Britain’s The Mirror reports that 50-year-old pilot Bartle Frere was arrested last November on over 20 charges, including allegedly arranging or facilitating sex with children during a six-year period ending in 2013 while employed as a pilot.

This week, the Bournemouth Crown Court began hearing evidence against Frere during his criminal trial. According to The Mirror, the former pilot is accused of searching for terms such as “where to pick up underage boys in Bangkok” shortly after landing an aircraft in Thailand.

Frere is also accused of rearranging his flight schedule, so that he could meet potential victims. According to The Daily Mail, prosecutors allege messages were found on Frere’s computer to underage boys arranging to meet them in Chennai, India.

“Conversations sent electronically indicated he was meeting these boys during his role as a pilot,” prosecutor Elizabeth Bussey-Jones said in court, according to Britain’s The Daily Mail. “In one string of messages he apologizes to one boy for not coming to Chennai but said he was trying to swap his flights with another pilot.”

According to The Daily Mail, additional accusations against Frere include indecent assault on a boy under 16, indecency with a boy in Britain, possession of indecent photographs of children, and making indecent photographs of children. According to both The Mirror and The Daily Mail, Frere has denied all the charges against him. The court trial is continuing.

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