Australian Woman Accused Chief Steward of Molest On Board Malaysian Airlines Flight to Paris

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 ― An Australian woman alleging that she had been sexually assaulted by a Malaysia Airlines steward on an intercontinental flight has gone public about her ordeal.

Known only as Laura, the 26-year-old alleged that the chief steward on Malaysia Airlines flight MH20 from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on August 4 had attacked her during which she had been paralysed by fear, according to a report on News.com.au.

“I couldn’t stop it, I just froze, I was just scared,” the news site quoted her as saying in a interview expected to be to be aired on Australian television this weekend.

“I keep saying ‘why didn’t I scream, why didn’t I shout, why didn’t I stop it? I’m a strong person because I can, I can do that, I know I can, but when I was in the moment I couldn’t. I felt so scared, so petrified,” she was further quoted as saying.

Laura was reported to have recorded an exchange mid-flight in which a woman is heard crying and saying: “I’m so scared, I just want to get off this plane … I don’t want to see you, go away, you give me the creeps, you dirty old man.”

In a statement last week, Malaysia Airlines confirmed the allegations had been made were made and that a member of staff had been detained by French police.

“We will naturally assist the French authorities as they conduct their investigation and would stress that the safety, comfort and well-being of our passengers is always our highest priority,” it said.

While the airline gave no other details about the member of staff arrested, the Australian news site said the chief steward is married with children remains in the custody of French police after “making admissions.”

The story comes at a time when the struggling airline is on its knees after successive years of losses and is now being taken over by the government.

The national carrier has also been in the spotlight for two tragedies this year.

In March, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing carrying 239 people on board disappeared from the skies in what is believed to be among the greatest mysteries of modern aviation. The jetliner remains missing and everyone on board is believed to be dead.

Mid-July, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over Ukrainian airspace, killing all 283 people on board.-tmmOnline

Source: http://www.malaysiaedition.net/australian-woman-in-alleged-sex-attack-on-malaysia-airlines-flight-goes-public/