FLIGHT ASSAULT: Man charged with indecent assault on LAX to Melbourne flight

A 71-year-old Victorian man has been charged following an alleged indecent assault aboard an international flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne on Monday, 22 September 2025.

The man, reported to be Mounir Botros is accused of touching the woman by reaching inside her clothes as she attempted to sleep on the Monday flight. The incident raises fresh concerns about in-flight safety and what happens after a passenger reports inappropriate behaviour in the air.

What we know

The woman told the crew that the man allegedly touched her inappropriately and even reached inside her clothing. The crew intervened, moved her to a different seat, and notified authorities. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) met the aircraft upon landing, interviewed the man and witnesses, and subsequently arrested him.

Mounir Botros has been charged with one count of an act of indecency without consent under section 60 of the Crimes Act 1900 (ACT), which has a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.

The accused has since been bailed and appeared remotely in Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 24 September 2025, where his lawyer, Sarah Condon, requested that media reporting of her client be suppressed. Condon argued that her client was unaware that the AFP would issue a media release about the alleged offence. She further argued that the application by the media to access court documents on Wednesday morning had a “catastrophic psychological impact” on her client. The application was later withdrawn.

Which airline?

The reports do not currently identify the airline by name. Media releases refer to “an international flight from the United States (Los Angeles)” landing in Melbourne.

Safety in the air

Safety doesn’t take a break at 35,000 ft. Airborne behaviour may feel isolated, but the law doesn’t stop in the clouds. This incident, and others like it, reaffirm that passengers maintain rights on board and authorities will act upon landing.

The actions of the cabin crew in moving the passenger and reporting the incident likely made a significant difference in gathering evidence and preserving the passenger’s safety.

2PAXfly Takeout

Cabin crew on flights are there for your safety. We usually think about this in the realm of aeroplane disasters, rather than concerning the behaviour of passengers on board.

Cabin crew members also play a role in circumstances like this. It’s important to report to them if you feel uncomfortable because of the behaviour of another passenger, or when an incident of assault occurs.

Flight staff can assist, as in this case, by moving you to another part of the cabin. They also perform an important role as a kind of first responder in these circumstances, and later as witnesses.