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A 30-year-old British man has been arrested in Palma de Mallorca after sexually assaulting a flight attendant during a Ryanair flight from London Stansted. The incident took place in the air, but his arrest came several days later on the ground, after a search operation by the Guardia Civil that ended on Thursday July 2.

 

According to reports, the man showed clear signs of intoxication during the flight and began harassing both passengers and crew. The situation escalated when he attempted to grope a flight attendant before forcing a kiss on the neck of one of the cabin crew members. The aircraft commander activated the alert protocol and notified ground control before landing, with Guardia Civil officers waiting on the tarmac when the plane touched down.

 

What happened next complicated matters. The victim initially declined to file a formal complaint, which meant that despite being identified at the airport, the suspect could not be immediately arrested. He walked out of the terminal and began his holiday on the island.

 

Hours later, the flight attendant changed her mind and filed a complaint. That decision triggered a search operation across Palma that lasted several days before officers finally located the tourist in the city centre and arrested him on charges of alleged sexual assault and public disorder.

 

He was subsequently brought before the Palma courts and released on bail while legal proceedings continue.

 

The case has reignited debate about behaviour on flights to the Balearic Islands, where incidents involving drunk and disorderly passengers have become an increasingly visible problem in recent summers. The aviation industry has been calling for tougher penalties to protect cabin crew, who face a particular vulnerability given that incidents occur in a confined space at 30,000 feet with limited options for intervention.

 

For the flight attendant at the centre of this case, the decision to file a complaint after initially declining to do so made the difference between the suspect walking free and facing justice.

 

 

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