A MARRIED father who groped a 12-year-old girl on a flight has been jailed after trying to claim he mistook the child for his wife.
Javed Inamdar, 34, assaulted the youngster on a British Airways flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow on December 14 last year.
Isleworth Crown Court was told the schoolgirl woke up crying at about midnight screaming “get the f*** away from me”.
Cabin crew on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were immediately informed of the horrific attack
A court heard Inamdar allegedly stroked the youngster’s hand to “test the waters” before assaulting her.
When confronted the dad-of-two reportedly told a flight attendant he “may have confused the young girl with his wife”.
The foreign national, from Mumbai, has no status in the UK and was provided housing by his employer while on conditional bail during his trial, a court was told.
He denied one count of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching but was found guilty by a jury.
Inamdar, a shipping company boss, then appeared in the dock at Isleworth Crown Court, assisted by a Hindi interpreter, for sentencing – sobbing throughout.
Lee Sergent, defending, said: “He comes from a different part of the world in India. He has made some success of his life in India helping his family. He has been on bail in this country because his employers have backed him and got him housing in this country.
“Being on bail in this country has had a greater restriction on his life than a person from this country. He has not been able to see his wife or children.
“He has no right to stay in this country and if he was given a suspended sentence he would be leaving straight away on a plane”.
The court heard how Imandar’s defence barrister was being paid for by the taxpayer.
Handing down his sentence, Judge Simon Davis said: “This is a tragic case for the young girl. You got on that airplane and sat yourself down on the window seat. At that stage you thought you had the opportunity to assault her.
“You tested the waters by brushing her hand. You’re shaking your head but the jury has found their verdict. That was an outrageous thing to do. This country will protect people like this young girl, especially at that young age.
“When she was horrified and protested, you ran as fast as you could, making up what you could say as a way of defence.
“I have decreased the sentence because of you waiting in this country and not being able to communicate with your wife, which in itself is another tragedy. I consider that as a material factor”.
Inamdar was taken into custody as soon as the jet touched down at Heathrow.
He is alleged to have told police he was in a “deep sleep” and couldn’t remember touching the young girl.
Cabin manager Rebecca Rooney said the girl was “visibly distressed”, adding that she had “her knees to her chest and was hugging herself”.
Ms Rooney told the court: “I asked her what happened, she stated the male in the seat next to her had put his hands up her jumper and had touched her breast”.
The cabin crew manager then walked to the back of the plane to find the man and moved him into another seat, the court heard.
Michelle Adams, another member of the cabin crew on the flight, dealt with Inamdar after the incident.
She told the court he had claimed he thought the 12-year-old girl “was his wife” and that he had “fallen asleep cuddling her”.
The defendant said he worked for a “fleet management company” and was flying from Mumbai to Heathrow, and then onto Houston, Texas, where he would be picking up a ship.
A transcript of his interview with cops on the ground was heard in court, during which he claimed to have been asleep when he assaulted the girl.
He also told police that he tried to explain to a flight attendant that there had been a misunderstanding.
He later claimed during his police interview: “How can anyone specifically remember all this? Whether I moved my hand or anything like that?
“Yes, it’s possible, accidentally, maybe, but not intentionally – that’s 100 per cent”.
After he was convicted and led away to the cells Inamdar shouted: “I need to call my wife to let her know what is happening”.
He has now been jailed for 21 months after he was found guilty by a jury.
