A 64-year-old man was arrested after reporting that he had masturbated during a Gol flight between Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis, Friday evening (19). The passenger was taken to the airport police station, but was released after the custody hearing on Monday (22).
Paulo Gustavo Bittencourt Villela, 64, was arrested after the plane landed in Florianópolis for the offense of sexual harassment. According to the arrest report, no bail had been set at the time of the arrest and the man was sent to the men’s prison in the capital Santa Catarina.
The report was unable to locate his defense. The case is being handled under judicial secrecy.
The victim was traveling with her 10-year-old daughter and her 76-year-old mother. According to the report made to the police, the passenger began touching her body several times with her arm shortly after takeoff. Uncomfortable, she tried to move away and placed bags between the two. Despite this, contact continued.
After the snack service was announced and the plane’s lights went out, the passenger noticed that the man had his hands down in his pants, hiding his movements with his t-shirt, and that he was masturbating next to her. She pressed the call button and reported the matter to a flight attendant, who moved her to another seat next to her daughter.
According to the victim, the purser said he would record what happened and inform the plane’s captain.
During the flight, the passenger managed to notify his family members via messages, who called the police. After landing in Florianópolis, she returned to pick up the crew and said the authorities had been called. The man arrived to disembark, but was located by officers and arrested in the act at the airport.
The incident was initially analyzed by the Santa Catarina State Court, but the case was referred to the Federal Court. In a decision made during this change, the judiciary declared that crimes committed on board aircraft during interstate flights must be analyzed at the federal level, as provided for in the Constitution.
In a duty of justice statement, the prosecution said the victim said she was touched insistently and later saw the man masturbating next to her during the robbery. Given this, the agency also defended the referral of the case to the Federal Court.
In her statement, the passenger said she was stunned after the episode and expressed concern about the impact of the situation on her daughter, who witnessed some of the movement inside the plane.
Speaking to reporters on Monday after the suspect’s release, the passenger said the episode still caused emotional shock. According to her, in moments when she is alone, tears and indignation arise. She also reported that her daughter and her mother have alternated between moments of agitation and sadness since the incident.
The report asked Gol to clarify the protocols adopted in cases of sexual violence on board and whether the company follows up on the matter, but the company did not respond until this text was published.
The Federal Court and the Federal Police were also contacted, but did not respond until this report was published.
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