British Police Investigating Alleged Rape on United Flight

BBC News reports an unnamed 40-year-old man was arrested upon arrival but has since been released under investigation.

Alleged Rape Took Place In-Flight While Others Slept

The alleged rape took place on January 31, 2022, aboard a United flight between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to London. According to the victim, the male assaulted her while other flyers were sleeping. Neither police nor Metropolitan Police released any other details about the incident.

In a statement to CNN, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they were notified of “an incident on an inbound flight,” and met the aircraft at the gate. Although the male was escorted off the aircraft and arrested, he was “released under investigation.”

A United spokesperson said their flight attendants called authorities when they were alerted about the incident and will fully cooperate with the police.

“Our crew called ahead and notified the local authorities as soon as they became aware of these allegations,” the statement from United to CNN reads. “We will cooperate with law enforcement on any investigation.”

The accused male has not been identified by police, and no charges have been filed against him. There is no indication that a civil lawsuit has been filed by the victim against either United or the accused person.

Sexual Assault a Serious Crime Aboard Aircraft

Although it is uncommon, sexual assaults are becoming more reported aboard commercial flights. In May 2021, a JetBlue flyer was arrested in Minneapolis on accusations of sexually harassing another flyer after doing drugs on his plane. In November 2021, Spirit Airlines faced a $150,000 lawsuit alleging a flight attendant made unwanted advances towards a passenger.