Bawer Aksal, Sex Abuse, New Jersey 2012

Bawer Aksal, a 49-year-old man from North Bergen, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 97 months in prison for sexually abusing a sleeping woman on a domestic flight.

On August 20, 2012, Aksal was a passenger on a United Airlines flight from Phoenix to Newark Liberty International Airport. He sat in the middle seat of a row of three, with the victim seated by the window and another passenger in the aisle seat.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Aksal had been encroaching on the victim’s personal space throughout the flight, prompting her to text a friend complaining about his behavior.

About an hour before landing, the aisle passenger witnessed Aksal with his body against the victim’s, his arms around her back and beneath a sweater draped over her. The victim awoke to find Aksal’s hands inside her shirt and shorts and struggled out of his grasp.

The aisle passenger and the victim promptly reported the incident to the flight attendants, and Aksal was detained upon arrival in Newark. He was subsequently arrested by FBI agents.

Aksal was previously convicted of one count of sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares. In addition to the prison term, Judge Linares sentenced Aksal to serve three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution to the victim for her medical expenses. Aksal is also required to register as a sex offender.

The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over all sexual abuse cases that occur in American airplanes, as such events are outside the jurisdiction of any state.

Bawer Aksal, North Bergen, New Jersey resident, was sentenced to 97 months in prison for sexually abusing a sleeping woman on a domestic flight on August 20, 2012. He was convicted of one count of sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. Aksal will serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution to the victim for her medical expenses.

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