A woman claimed she woke up on a Gatwick-bound flight to find a man sexually assaulting her – Lewes Crown Court heard how Momade Jussab was arrested when the Qatar Airways flight from Doha landed at Gatwick in September 2024
A Gatwick Airport-bound plane passenger has told a court of the moment she woke up in mid-air to find a man sexually assaulting her. The 24-year-old female, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police she had woken up on the plane to find a man assaulting her and her clothes rearranged.
She said she tried to force the man off of her before reporting the incident to cabin crew onboard the flight. Momade Jussab, 66 and originally from Mozambique, was arrested when the Qatar Airways flight from Doha landed at Gatwick Airport in September 2024, Lewes Crown Court heard.
The woman told police in her recorded interview: “I told him to stop […] He said ‘no, please’ and he was trying to continue.”
The court heard Jussab told police the woman was “asking for it”. “Men are dogs, I lost control, I accept it,” he told police. The court also heard how the woman told police she believed the man was being friendly when he offered to tuck her in.
Jussab, from Fletham in west London, told police the passenger had provoked him and lied to get him into trouble. “She took advantage of me – leading me into a trap,” he told police.
Prosecutor Jonathan Atkinson told the jury: “He said he didn’t think she was asleep because she appeared to be making a moaning sound.” He said the woman was the victim of an “opportunistic sexual assault, taking advantage of her when she was asleep”.
Momade Jussab denies assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault. The trial continues.
