A 39-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with sexual assault after allegedly kissing and groping a woman after she passed out on a Ryanair flight.
The 22-year-old woman had a headache and fainted shortly after takeoff on a flight from Malta to Nantes.
She fell forward onto the tray table, then onto a passenger’s shoulder.
As she came to, the woman alleged that the passenger next to her had been kissing her neck.
He then allegedly continued to sexually assault her, including groping her breast under her t-shirt.
She claimed she was finally able to pull away when he touched her underwear by reaching under her shorts.
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The woman told her family what had happened when she landed.
She then reported the man to French Border Police, according to Paris Match.
Her lawyer Anne Bouillon told Ouest-France: “A vulnerable woman is seen as prey, even on an aeroplane.”
The alleged assault took place on July 19 and the man was arrested in Nantes Airport on August 31.
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He has denied the allegations.
The woman’s clothes were examined by officers and she underwent an examination at Nantes University Hospital’s forensic medical unit.
Prosecutors say DNA evidence links him to the case.
The man was charged with sexually assaulting a vulnerable person on Wednesday.
He is reportedly homeless and was placed in pre-trial detention.
The man is set to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before standing trial on October 28.
He did not have a previous criminal record.
The Sun contacted Ryanair for comment.