Saudi national sentenced for assaulting Sri Lankan Airlines flight attendant

By Bhagya Silva   

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama yesterday imposed a  three-month suspended prison sentence for five years and a fine of Rs.10,000 on a Saudi Arabian national who pleaded guilty to assaulting a Sri Lankan Airlines flight attendant on board a flight.   
The incident had occurred on the morning of October 26, onboard Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL 266, which was arriving at the Katunayake Airport from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.   
The suspect, Alshahila Abdul Kima had attempted to go to the lavatory while the aircraft was preparing to land. Despite repeated announcements made by the flight attendants instructing all passengers to remain seated with their seat belts fastened, the suspect ignored the instructions and attempted to stand up, resulting in a verbal altercation and subsequently a physical confrontation.   
The flight attendants immediately informed the pilot in command, and upon landing at Katunayake, airport police officers arrested the Saudi national.   
When the suspect was produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court the following day, the police informed the court that remaining seated with seat belts fastened during landing was mandatory under aviation safety regulations and that the suspect had violated this rule by attempting to go to the lavatory, leading to the confrontation. At that time, the Magistrate granted bail to the suspect.   
When the case was called again yesterday, the defence counsel appearing for the suspect told court that his client, a Saudi national, did not speak English and that the incident had occurred while he was en route to Malaysia for higher studies.   
The assaulted flight attendant was also present in court. The defence counsel informed the court that the suspect sincerely regretted the incident and extended an apology to the complainant.   
After considering the submissions, the Magistrate, who imposed a three-month suspended prison sentence for each of the other two charges filed against the suspect and ordered that the sentences be suspended for a period of five years, further directed that the suspect’s passport be released upon payment of the fine.