Lankan jailed for groping

25 April 2010 10:33 am - 62 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A A A

A Sri Lankan passenger on a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong was so enchanted by the flight attendants he couldn't resist touching their breasts and buttocks, a Singapore magistrate heard, the Standard reported.

Chief Magistrate Ernest Lin Kam- hung jailed Sri Lankan Halpita Acharige Wijith Thalis, 47, for 14 days and fined him HK$15,000 after he admitted indecently assaulting three Cathay Pacific flight attendants last week.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault under the Aviation Security Ordinance at Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Court.

Thalis, who was on a business trip with two assistants, boarded Cathay Pacific flight CX 710 from Singapore to Kansai, Japan, via Hong Kong.

When the first victim was serving passengers in the row in front of Thalis, she felt someone touching her left buttock. She turned round and saw Thalis withdrawing his right hand.

She told him: "Don't touch me, if you want something, ask me by name, but don't touch me." She said the defendant put up his hands and replied "sorry" before making a funny face.

Shortly before landing at 2pm, he did the same to another flight attendant.

When the aircraft landed, the second victim went to the defendant to return his jacket. She also felt someone touching her buttock. She turned round and saw Thalis withdrawing his right hand. A passenger also pointed to the defendant.

A male crew member tried to talk to the defendant but was snubbed. Then as he was disembarking, Thalis nudged with his elbow the right breast of a third flight attendant who was standing on one side of the corridor to allow passengers to pass.
The attendant reacted with shock, but it did not fluster Thalis.

The three flight attendants reported the matter to their manager, who alerted the police through security staff. Thalis was arrested by airport police.

Order Gifts and Flowers to Sri Lanka. See Kapruka's top selling online shopping categories such as Toys, Grocery, Kids Toys, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Clothing and Electronics. Also see Kapruka's unique online services such as Money Remittence,Astrology, Courier/Delivery, Medicine Delivery and over 700 top brands. Also get products from Amazon & Ebay via Kapruka Gloabal Shop into Sri Lanka

Comments - 62

Monday, 26 April 2010 08:29 AM

I have not seen this reported in other newspapers. This man should be named and shamed and given the maximum publicity for his vile actions on innocent women just doing their jobs.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:54 AM

terrible and a shame to our motherland he should be banned for a few years at least.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:55 AM

A rascal. you let down our country too.

Monday, 26 April 2010 05:10 AM

Yep this kind of frustration has been seen reported by many Sri Lankan female Passengers, May be the growing Sexual frustration at home. This is what the Sri Lankan Air Ways stewardess are reporting too.

Monday, 26 April 2010 05:10 AM

hope it was worth it!

Monday, 26 April 2010 05:14 AM

Is he from Kelaniya?

Monday, 26 April 2010 05:49 AM

its these same guys who pass comments and try the same tactics to girls and women in the buses and on the roads! good that this happened to him on an overseas flight! Hope he learns his lesson!!

Monday, 26 April 2010 06:22 AM

he should be arrested on arrival in sri lanka and given the maximum punishment.

Monday, 26 April 2010 06:28 AM

They say the older they get the worse they become. He is proving it isn't he?

Monday, 26 April 2010 07:08 AM

Couldnt resist the charms of the stewardesses. Like some who cant resist the charms of singers, actresses, models & beauty queens. This is ECTASY!

Monday, 26 April 2010 07:14 AM

Help this frustrated man, by dressing a pumpkin with a skirt and leave it front of his seat, so that he could touch it much as he likes pretending its a woman.

Monday, 26 April 2010 07:17 AM

This punishment is not enough.
As in Singapore, this rascal should be given with 100 lashes in addtion.

Monday, 26 April 2010 07:32 AM

No he shouldn't be punishment, so many bad things are happening like discrimination against minorities there is no law to take action against this.

Monday, 26 April 2010 07:53 AM

He is a Bike business man from Kurunegala Puttalam road and lived before in japan.
He doesnt know english and may be his attitute was'nt understood by the crew of flight.

Monday, 26 April 2010 08:05 AM

Ha ha ha good one man. Over to you Minister of public transport ,Please please apply this to all the buses in busy routes where women is SL is sooooo much tortured by sic men. I think about 70% of the men who travel in these buses r no different to this Thalis. But luckily now there r very smart men (specially young boys) who talk right on the spot against those sic acts.

Monday, 26 April 2010 08:12 AM

I expecting to see what our GOSL going to do with this guy on his return , i think they should give him some kind of punishment for bring shame to SriLanka

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:45 AM

superb fellow

Monday, 26 April 2010 08:44 AM

They Should punish him..

Monday, 26 April 2010 08:53 AM

can't understand His attitude!!! yeah alright,it doesn't matter whether he can't speak English, but he should know how to respect to a woman. English and common sense don't have to go together.

Monday, 26 April 2010 09:09 AM

What was he doing on a plane? did he mistakenly get into it thinking it was a bus or train? speaks al ot about his upbringing .

Monday, 26 April 2010 09:15 AM

Are our politicians any better? The example is set from the top.

Monday, 26 April 2010 09:56 AM

Sure he has done this many times before and gone scot free.Open a CRIMANAL CASE in SL for diminishing the image of our beuitful mother land. Murrad

Monday, 26 April 2010 10:56 AM

This guy is being tried in Hong Kong, Its really a shame, This guy must be equally punished when he arrives back in Sri Lanka. Perphaps the Immigration Dept can help the Lankan Police in Apprehending him. He has brought great shame for all Lankans especially, at a time when we Lankans are beinging treated and welcomed abroad. I wonder how we shall be portraited abroad.

Monday, 26 April 2010 11:32 AM

why are all these commentators trying to see this as a damage to the image of the national pride? It is not, it is a idiotic act of an individual! We tolerate such and still more unsocial behavior of politicians and private persons at home, We are much worried about what other people might think about us than what we think about us. Most of us would not worry about lying or stealing or doing anything illegal but we would shame ourselves if we get caught by this act. It's a question of Moral and not the image.

Monday, 26 April 2010 11:40 AM

Well first of all this kind of acts are not so serious felonies that people should bark @ this much. In fact the people who are barking @ this so loud are even bigger perverts than the person mentioned in this incident. They are just being huge hypocrites about this hiding their true inside, in fact I believe something more serious than this would have happened if one of those hypocrites were in that plane :P
So what, this guy took a shot thinking one of them would be a success, what’s funny about it is that he took the 3rd chance while 2 of his previous attempts failed & on the same flight =D. thats pretty lame & funny though, but other than him being stupid & the whole scene being funny I don’t see it as a felony. But look @ all these hypocrites who're talking about sentencing him =D Now people like you're a shame to this country :) cont...

Monday, 26 April 2010 11:58 AM

sri lankans do it ALL THE TIME in buses here , this one probably forgot where he was.

Monday, 26 April 2010 12:18 PM

Dont worry there many gays in the Jail

Monday, 26 April 2010 12:24 PM

Why all theses nasty comments,Its very simple,just make him HAND CUFFED untill disembark!!!!!

Monday, 26 April 2010 02:10 PM

This man thought that he could get away with what is regular behaviour on Sri Lankan buses and trains, not realising that the rest of the world won't tolerate this conduct.
Until we in SL stop putting up with this behaviour, and actually have laws that can punish people for sexual harrasment, people like him will continue to abuse innocent women and children. It is embarrasing that a Singaporean judge had to take care of a problem that we seem unable to solve in SL

Monday, 26 April 2010 03:08 PM

Well Done Thalis. You are a jewel of Sri Lanka.

If it was a Tamil he would have got into trouble big time.

Keep it going Modaya.

Monday, 26 April 2010 03:15 PM

When he returns back to Colombo make him Mininter for Aviation on the national list.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 10:41 PM

People like this bring the countrys reputation down. Should have given him a more tougher sentence...

Sunday, 25 April 2010 11:33 AM

what a disgrace...

Sunday, 25 April 2010 11:40 AM

shame!

Sunday, 25 April 2010 11:56 AM

this is the tradition in Lankan buses, 'jack' gahanawa as it is known is widely praticed by schoolboys and dirty old men and dirty not so old men. Women keep pins in their wallets to repel such attacks. Such disgusting behaviour abroad is commonplace as is shoplifting by sporting teams on foreign tours.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 12:09 PM

Barbarians. Shame to carry my Sri Lankan passport. Such dirty acts

Sunday, 25 April 2010 01:14 PM

Such perverts should be blackisted by all airlines from being allowed to fly on their carriers

Sunday, 25 April 2010 01:20 PM

Please implement the same punishment for passengers (specially indians) who do this dirty thing when flying home from Middle east on sri lankan airlines.Our poor beautful cabin crews suffer silently.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 01:26 PM

He deserves the sentence. It is a shame that this man had no intelligence to restrain himself and behave with dignity.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 01:42 PM

This is disgraceful. Sri Lankans will be judged as vulgar and the reputation will be tarred. We do not know how many other incidents have gone unreported. His passport should be suspended for a period.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 01:42 PM

PERVERT, INSULT TO THE ENTIRE NATION, I4 DAYS IN NOT ADEQUATE, MUST BE CHARGED AND SENTENCED LONGER IN SRI LANKA

Sunday, 25 April 2010 03:08 PM

What Thalis had mastered traveling on the 155 bus has not done any good on a plane.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 04:12 PM

Typical pervert attitude. May be he was fed Formula

Sunday, 25 April 2010 04:20 PM

Disgracefull behavior , ending up in jail will teach this idiot a lesson in manners.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 04:49 PM

This gentleman seems to have an uncontrollable urge to touch girls. His passport should be removed from him permanently, so that he cannot travel abroad and bring disgrace to Sri Lanka.

It is a sickness, incurable sickness!!!

Sunday, 25 April 2010 08:33 PM

now they also know the indecent habit of sri lankans....

Sunday, 25 April 2010 09:17 PM

One word................. Stupid..........

Sunday, 25 April 2010 11:09 AM

this man brings shame to all the sri lankans. GOSL should take strict action on his arrival. will see how they handle.

Sunday, 25 April 2010 11:31 PM

Shame on you & you call yourself a Sri Lankan !

Monday, 26 April 2010 12:47 AM

What a pervert. Serves him right.

Monday, 26 April 2010 02:36 AM

PERVERT !!

Monday, 26 April 2010 03:09 AM

Stop him flying for 5 years.

Monday, 26 April 2010 03:51 AM

Very good punishment.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:00 AM

Very good punishment. I wish our laws were that strict in SL. Just imagine the amount of men who would be jailed and fined here. No need to look too far... they are everywhere, on the bus, on the road.... everywhere!!!!

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:06 AM

The punishment should also be extended to suspension of flying in any aircraft for a period of time.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:09 AM

If the guy was in his twenties or even thirties, he can be excused to a certain extent. A guy of 47 years doing this is totally inexcusable. As a further deterrent, may be his passport details should have been circulated within the Airlines so that the crew will be forewarned about this guy.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:10 AM

Hay, Mr Thalis what if the same thing happened to your wife, daughter or your mom.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:13 AM

This pervert was fined and jailed in Hong Kong, not in Singapore.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:17 AM

Shame upon shame!

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:30 AM

As usual trust one of our people to go and embarrass us ....
first people get caught shop lifting, now this! Atleast be discreet if you can't help yoursel!!

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:38 AM

No! should be for life.

Monday, 26 April 2010 04:41 AM

Should punish him more than this. Experienced a similar situation in CX flight as a passenger and reported to the crew in June 2009.

Add comment
Comments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.

Lankan jailed for groping

Comments - 62

Add comment

RECOMMENDED

UDA owned land in Thalawathugoda; UDA Minister Prasanna Ranatunga under the spotlight for forceful occupation of reserved land

Loss-making SMIB faces political pressure in recovering loans

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: MV Dali, SL authorities anchored in mystery?

Has Sri Lanka become a potential hub for the illegal wildlife trade?

Spotlight on Moragahakanda Development Project Moragolla villagers lose livelihoods and down to one meal a day

Ambitious Sri Lankan jobseekers ‘trafficked into Ukraine war zones’

Western purple-faced langurs see blue!

Most Viewed in News

Confusion remains if April 15 is a bank holiday

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperuma dies from electrocution

SL on alert on possible genocide allegations by Canada

April 15 declared a government holiday

New Visa procedure implemented

Street food vendor arrested for verbally harassing foreigner

MIRROR CRICKET

Chamari Athapaththu sets big goal for T20 World Cup

How does CSK get best out of Pathirana?

Mendis, Mathews move up in ICC Test Rankings

Chamodi, Dewmi spins Sri Lanka U19 Women to big win

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Wild elephants pull down 16 telephone poles

Middleman arrested for price gouging at Kalutara eatery

Bondholders’ agreement delay won’t hinder IMF third tranche payout: Dr. Coomaraswamy

Party leaders to shoot down MPs request for concessionary duty free vehicle permits

Hardik fined Rs 12 lakh for violating IPL code of conduct after win over Punjab Kings

Chamari Athapaththu sets big goal for T20 World Cup

How does CSK get best out of Pathirana?

Mendis, Mathews move up in ICC Test Rankings