A 24-year-old woman, Kelly, was sexually assaulted on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to London Gatwick last September, two hours before landing.
Tucked under a blanket with her headphones on, she had been sleeping after a long day of travel when the man sitting next to her, in his 60s, attacked her.
Speaking about the ordeal for the first time, Kelly said, “His hands were down my trousers and I said to him, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Stop’. He said, ‘No, please’. And I had to force his hand out of my trousers and that just made me get up straight away. I left my phone, I left my bag, I left my passport, I left everything. I left my shoes and ran into the toilet, left the door open [and] told the flight attendant.”
After the assault, Kelly was initially moved to a cabin crew seat and then relocated elsewhere in the plane until landing.
“I had to endure the rest of the plane journey, which was awful,” she recalled. “I was so anxious… anyone that walked by I would instantly panic because I thought it would be him.”
The attacker, 66-year-old Momade Jussab, was arrested upon arrival at Gatwick. He was charged with one count of sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault, found guilty in March, and is now serving a six-and-a-half year prison sentence.
While relieved he was convicted, Kelly continues to feel the impact of the assault on her daily life.
“I haven’t been out in almost a year – to events or summer parties with my friends. I can’t do that. I’m too scared. I don’t want to be touched or looked at. So it’s never leaving me. It’s literally there every single day before I sleep, I’m thinking about what happened.”
Kelly is also fighting for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, but her application was rejected because the assault occurred on a Qatar-registered aircraft, which the scheme does not consider a “relevant place.” Her appeal in May was also refused.
“I understand that he’s been sentenced and he’s done what he’s done and he’s paying the price for that. But what about me? I can’t afford certain therapy,” she said. “I just want to be compensated for what I’ve been through. I want professional help and I want to be heard.”
Her lawyers at Leigh Day argue the decision is “irrational,” noting that United Kingdom law allows crimes on foreign planes bound for the UK to be prosecuted in British courts. Yet victims of such crimes cannot claim CICS compensation.
“Under the current scheme, it appears that a violent sexual assault on a British-registered aircraft is eligible for compensation while a victim of the same violent assault on a foreign registered aircraft – on a UK-bound flight where the perpetrator is prosecuted under UK law – is excluded,” said Claire Powell of Leigh Day. She called for urgent reform to close the gap.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said, “Our thoughts remain with this victim, and we remain resolute in our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. The rules that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority follows, and the values of payments for injuries, are set by Parliament. Other routes are available for victims to receive support.”
Kelly is speaking out to raise awareness and encourage vigilance while travelling. “Please be aware. Please be mindful. Don’t be scared, but people are out there that can actually hurt you so always be careful. This could happen to you.”
A 24-year-old woman, Kelly, was sexually assaulted on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to London Gatwick last September, two hours before landing.
Tucked under a blanket with her headphones on, she had been sleeping after a long day of travel when the man sitting next to her, in his 60s, attacked her.
Speaking about the ordeal for the first time, Kelly said, “His hands were down my trousers and I said to him, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Stop’. He said, ‘No, please’. And I had to force his hand out of my trousers and that just made me get up straight away. I left my phone, I left my bag, I left my passport, I left everything. I left my shoes and ran into the toilet, left the door open [and] told the flight attendant.”
After the assault, Kelly was initially moved to a cabin crew seat and then relocated elsewhere in the plane until landing.
“I had to endure the rest of the plane journey, which was awful,” she recalled. “I was so anxious… anyone that walked by I would instantly panic because I thought it would be him.”
The attacker, 66-year-old Momade Jussab, was arrested upon arrival at Gatwick. He was charged with one count of sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault, found guilty in March, and is now serving a six-and-a-half year prison sentence.
While relieved he was convicted, Kelly continues to feel the impact of the assault on her daily life.
“I haven’t been out in almost a year – to events or summer parties with my friends. I can’t do that. I’m too scared. I don’t want to be touched or looked at. So it’s never leaving me. It’s literally there every single day before I sleep, I’m thinking about what happened.”
Kelly is also fighting for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, but her application was rejected because the assault occurred on a Qatar-registered aircraft, which the scheme does not consider a “relevant place.” Her appeal in May was also refused.
“I understand that he’s been sentenced and he’s done what he’s done and he’s paying the price for that. But what about me? I can’t afford certain therapy,” she said. “I just want to be compensated for what I’ve been through. I want professional help and I want to be heard.”
Her lawyers at Leigh Day argue the decision is “irrational,” noting that United Kingdom law allows crimes on foreign planes bound for the UK to be prosecuted in British courts. Yet victims of such crimes cannot claim CICS compensation.
“Under the current scheme, it appears that a violent sexual assault on a British-registered aircraft is eligible for compensation while a victim of the same violent assault on a foreign registered aircraft – on a UK-bound flight where the perpetrator is prosecuted under UK law – is excluded,” said Claire Powell of Leigh Day. She called for urgent reform to close the gap.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said, “Our thoughts remain with this victim, and we remain resolute in our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. The rules that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority follows, and the values of payments for injuries, are set by Parliament. Other routes are available for victims to receive support.”
Kelly is speaking out to raise awareness and encourage vigilance while travelling. “Please be aware. Please be mindful. Don’t be scared, but people are out there that can actually hurt you so always be careful. This could happen to you.”