A British man has was detained upon arrival in London Heathrow for allegedly raping his seatmate in United Airlines Polaris business class.
Woman Alleges Man Raped Her In Business Class On United Airlines Flight To London
The incident allegedly took pace on Untied Airlines flight 14 from Newark (EWR) to London (LHR) on January 30, 2022. According to The Sun, which first broke the story:
- The two, both 40, did not know each other
- Prior to their flight, they met in the lounge in Newark
- A witness claimed both were drinking in the lounge and onboard
- The flight was operated by a Boeing 767-300 with Polaris business class seats onboard in a 1-1-1 configuration
- These business class suites do not have doors
- During the flight, the woman was allegedly raped
- It isn’t clear if this was in the cabin, in the lavatory, or elsewhere
- After the act, the “distraught” woman alerted the flight attendants
- The police were notified and met the aircraft upon arrival in Heathrow
- Police detained the man, took a DNA sample, fingerprints, and a mugshot, then released him
- Police then conducted a forensic search inside the cabin
United Airlines has not commented on the incident.
I don’t mean to go all sharia on you, but I support the death sentence for convicted violent rapists: that’s how serious I view such an act. There’s room to explore here whether there was any alcohol-fueled mutual consent or at least reasonable doubt, but as a general principle I place rapists just above murders and believe our solemn duty in pursuit of justice is to remove them from society and in egregious cases, do so permanently.
Not to derail this article on a debate over capital punishment, but rape represents a fundamental violation of human rights and as such, there can be no defense when one party does not consent. The situation is even worse in that it took place within a closed space on an airplane. If the woman’s allegations are true, there was nowhere for her to hide.
But let’s also recognize that the relatively open and very dense United business cabin makes the idea of rape much more difficult to imagine. I’ve flown this identical product enough to know there is not room for two people in a seat unless one is exclusively on top of the other. My generalizations about rape above are not indicative of any judgment concerning this particular case.
CONCLUSION
A man stands accused of rape onboard a United Airlines flight to London Heathrow. Police are now conducting their investigation. This story stands as a warning to be careful who share a drink with and that even the friendly confines of a business class cabin may not be fully safe space.
(H/T: One Mile At A Time)
Let’s hold off judgement till the police conducts their business. Remember Duke Lacrosse?
100% agree.
When speaking about punishment, I was only speaking in general terms, not concerning this case.
Yes Duke Lacrosse…the ultimate miscarriage of justice in upper middle class white America.
Damn right it was!
I’d consider rape worse than murder. Should be an automatic death penalty
If it can be proven to an absolute certainty
I don’t see how this is even possible. We’re not talking Singapore F here. As nice as it is there’s just not that much room in Polaris. Let’s not believe all women.
The aft toilet space in the UA 763 business cabin is spacious relative to the others.
But that means both went to the toilet together which makes one wonder if the woman wasn’t really aware of what that could imply. The story if true is horrible but people have to be extremely careful before judging others without all the facts. Alcohol + misjudgment could easily lead to regret. How about if it happened and it was consensual first and later the woman regretted? Very poor judgment from both sides.
Jesus Christ, we don’t know anything about details and already you are suggesting was her fault for going to the bathroom with him.
First of all, even if she went to the bathroom with him, that doesn’t give him consent. She could have been sick and he was helping her to the bathroom. She could have even gone with him to the bathroom consenting to certain forms of sexual activity but not others.
Secondly, plenty of ways they could have ended up in the bathroom without her going in with him. Maybe she went in alone and he waited outside and forced himself in when she opened the door to leave. Maybe they both got up to use the bathrooms after the dinner service and he forced himself in before she could lock the door.
I have no idea what happened and hopefully it will be determined by the proper authorities, but as long as we’re blindly speculating scenarios might as well get a few out there that aren’t automatically blaming the purported victim. (For the record, the Sun article seems to imply it didn’t even happen in the bathroom but it is, you know, the Sun.)
Rape is a horrendous crime, and even more horrendous it was done in a semi-public place like an airplane cabin where nobody else noticed. I mean yes most people sleep on these flights but surely theres always one person awake or paying attention.
Seems very unlikely that this could have been a violent rape scenario and no one heard anything. If something did happen – and I am skeptical – it most likely would have been a lack of consent situation.
I assure you, if it is found to be true, the poor woman will still be just as traumatized even if it were not a “violent” act. When you are the victim of a sexual assault, the wounds reverberate throughout your soul, and, psyche. It robs you of your sense of self and you find it extremely difficult to ever feel safe again. Especially if the act occurred in such a public place as an aircraft cabin. God bless her!
I don’t think attaching your views on rape to this story is appropriate, Matthew. It leads to the idea that there is actual truth to her allegations, which we have no idea of at this point. Should the story be reported here? Sure. But keep it to the facts known at this point and nothing else. Anything other than that is just offering a slant towards assuming the man is guilty. If he is guilty, have at it, he deserves it. But if it turns out he is not, your viewpoints on rape associated to the case will not live well on the Internet and make you look foolish. Much like many bloggers were made to look after the German pop singer accused the Westin in Germany of anti-semitism…and was found to be fake.
With that, for those of us familiar with Polaris and standard business class cabins, especially the dense 767 config, there is a lot to be suspicious about as to how this could have possibly happened. I mean, even my 6-3 frame fills the entire pod. And it’s not at all private. So, was it actual rape? How is that even possible? Could he have touched her in a way that was uncomfortable? Now that’s far more believable.
This whole story seems outlandish. I could be wrong. But I don’t think it’s the place to preach your views of rape (as right as they are) on the heels of unproven allegations towards the very real possibility that this is completely made up.
Your point is very fair. I’ll leave it now that I’ve written it, but want to again make clear that I am not making any assumptions about the guilt onboard and to some extent, as you rightly point out, the story has some logical inconsistencies.
I’m reminded of a rape case that happened on a crowded Red Line Metro car in DC a few years back. The perpetrator put a knife to the woman, pushed her to the back, and used the relative privacy of the unused operator station to threaten her. After it was over, she had the presence of mind to spit into a tissue and that DNA identified him. I’d post a link but those are restricted by the rules. You can google the case: John P Hicks, 41
Regarding Matt’s statement on Crime and Punishment (a rather short Russian tome at only 700 pages), IMO false accusations should be punished at the same level as the actual crime itself since that’s what an alleged victim is trying to do the accused. If, such as in the Duke Lacrosse case, there is definitive evidence of innocence contradicting a sworn victim account, eye for an eye.
Exodus 20:16
“The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst”
Well said Stuart
“Well said Stuart”
Not sure what you mean by that. My pseudonym goes back to the early days of the Internet when having an “@” address was considered a fad.
Whomever you’re referring to as “Stuart”, he’s probably young enough to be my grandson.
With all do respect… rape is a violent act and to
commit it while in flight, she must have felt her life was threatened as well, not to scream. It will be very interesting how this all plays out.
I saw someone say on Twitter that United is removing Denver and Los Angeles as hubs and instead switching Omaha and Las Vegas to hubs in replacement. Does anyone know if this is true? I hope it isn’t!
Is that a joke? Will never happen.
I think it’s true. My flight to North Korea next week just got switched to Omaha!
I’m going to put this here for your information. According to the US dept of Justice per a January 6 update on their website, rape is now defined as:
“The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
I think this has direct bearing on whether “rape” could or could not have occurred in the business class cabin. The outcome of the investigation will be interesting.
Its time this was updated to include thoughts as well.
Anytime a guy wonders about any woman that he is not in relationship with how she might be in bed, he is guilty of rape if he did not get her consent in advance to think amorous thoughts about her, and should get himself into prison for the next few years.
Women i am sorry to say but you are raped like this by multiple guys, multiple times a day. Men are disgusting.
This woman in due time, after she has recovered, should sue united so she can retire early. But more importantly other women on the flight should sue for mental trauma and PTsD and try to get some money out of united. It’s quite fashionable these days and very rewarding.
Rape is ALSO digital penetration which is much more likely to have happened. So let’s not forget that this could have happened before we label the woman’s accusations untrustworthy.
naw I don’t think so
I’m curious to see how this one turns out…and if charges are ever filed. We’ve all been on these planes, and it just doesn’t seem possible without some indication of consent (that was clearly misunderstood). And if not, how she couldn’t alert one of the 100+ people within a few feet of her on board just defies all logic.
Please post any follow-up to this story….
In no way should the author of this article have been allowed to express his personal views about crime and punishment in the way he did. Is there no editorial control at this operation? Very amateurish.
Yes, such an abhorrent crime in any setting or circumstances is disgraceful and unacceptable and should carry the toughest of punishments, but a police investigation is now underway in accordance with UK law, so media coverage should be restricted until the appropriate time.
LOL. It’s a personal blog where the editor is the content creator…
That said, I do not agree with Matthews sentiment: death is an ultimate, irreversible punishment. A society build on the rule of law should never consider irreversible punishments, as even with the best intentions, and the most careful evidence collection, mistakes are made. Any authority must recognize this, and should always leave room for revisions and perhaps even atonment. Hard labour, socially beneficial (i.e. construction), with adequate rest, nurishment, and medical supervision, as well as a mercy hearing after a set number of years depending on severity strikes me as more sensible, but only after due process of an independent judiciary.
It’s all about risks. An oyster can coat sand to protect itself from injury… but a predator will kill many oysters. I agree we’re not qualified to make life or death judgements but cause exists. And we’re not willing to do what’s necessary to rehabilitate violent criminals (or treat them at all).
Punishment vs discipline. Parents discipline children but we punish criminals. With modern medicine and psychology you’d think we’d have improved the justice system from where it was 100 years ago.
I wonder if she had buyers remorse and the guy either didn’t last long or was severely undersized. About as plausible as everything else we are reading.
I love opinions. Everyone is so sure they know what is right. I feel more like Pontus Pilate every day. What is truth?
I agree with your sentiments about rape. The Bible makes it clear that sexual morality is the path to god. Although most people don’t follow the biblical rules on sex (saving oneself for marriage/no adultery/no remarriage), there is one part of the body that is sacred and should not be violated by anyone even for those who give it away routinely on a whim. Nakedness is sacred and should not be exposed against anyone’s will either. I don’t support the government/agents of the government (third parties) condemning anyone to death. That makes the agent a wrongdoer and the rapist a victim. The third party was not wronged and has no right to revenge. I support the victim or the victim’s immediate family taking extreme action and would vote not guilty on a jury for any father or etc who does so. I consider any cop who arrests a father or immediate family member taking revenge an evildoer.
The problem with claims of rape is people can lie and drunk people can do things without any intent of doing something against someone’s will. A forcible entry into a home by a stranger is a clear case where the above absolutely applies. However, a lot of cases aren’t so cut and dry. There are times when two people are drunk. Someone thinks a person wants something and that person doesn’t say no. Sometimes a single woman will invite a man into her home and have a drink with him and socialize. Something is then claimed to have happened and it’s nothing more than he said she said. Convicting on he said she said is an injustice. Anyone can lie and many do and have done so.
When good men give women advice, they call it victim blaming. It’s not. It’s reality. We care about women not getting raped. Don’t jog by yourself without protection (concealed carry of a firearm), don’t go to dangerous areas due to the known presence of dangerous groups, and don’t get carelessly drunk at a party. Alcohol definitely shouldn’t be banned (nor should drugs or any voluntary and consensual action), however, alcohol increases the risk of bad things happening.
What also differentiates a forcible entry into the home from other types is women do lie. They can consent and then say later on they didn’t for a number of reasons, including to get back at men, for money, or for attention. We had situations where someone like Weinstein was accused by multiple women of attacking them but they then wrote him emails over the years later saying they miss him. Surely Weinstein attacked many women but it’s likely a chunk are exaggerated claims and reasonable doubt (my standard is absolutely sure as convicting someone without absolutely being sure is an injustice ) will always exist when someone wrote emails to someone saying they miss him and want to see him again after the alleged attack.
The other problem with this is we’ve had people on death row who are later exonerated 20 years later by dna evidence who were convicted on eye witness testimony. Eye witnesses are not completely reliable. To me, all Black men do look the same and certainly it is possible for eye witnesses to misidentify people.
Every conservative does not trust, support or have confidence in the judgment of the government. They therefore should not trust government agents (cops/prosecutors/judges/rubber stamp juries) when they arrest, try, and convict people. These are the people who have put people in jail for false claims of not returning rental cars.
@Jackson Waterson
I suggest your read your Bible more carefully, rather than interpreting your favorite passages and ignoring the others you that don’t like. In regards to rape, the Bible instructs you when rape is sanctioned – just as it does for slavery.
Inspired by your good book, priests all over the globe have been serially raping thousands of children. Their more spiritually elevated peers, bishops, cardinals and just this week an an ex-pope, were busily reassigning their rapists to other dioceses, rather than punishing them or handing them over to the authorities – yes, those untrustworthy government workers you say conservatives cannot trust. No wonder you don’t trust them. They are heathens who do not condone rape, slavery, stoning people to death, etc. I am proud to be a heathen and do not accept your Stone Age gibberish. You should be ashamed of your backward beliefs.
I don’t mean to be rude, and I have heartfelt sympathy for this woman.
However I fly polaris on the 763 pretty much every month from London — IAD and back and I genuinely don’t understand how this could have happened. That’s not to say she’s wrong, survivors should be believed, but the seat is quite narrow. Like I’m a very small person (both in height and weight) and I don’t find it especially spacious. Just want to throw that out there…
The whole story sounds like bs. Another Duke Lacrosse where everyone bends over themselves to believe a ridiculous story in order to virtue signal when anyone rational knows the chance of this being true is minimal
Rape is heinous, simple as that. The ability to commit rape on a victim while in an airplane that has an open cabim and not have anyone notice anything out of the ordinary is extraordinary.
The details that will be forthcoming will be interesting.
I saw a couple having sex on an Air France flight back in ~2005. Was in J class – 777 with the 2-3-2 configuration.
I woke up in the middle of the night and she was dancing for him in aisle. WILD wild stuff.
Consider removing the word “man” from the article because it is sexist. You don’t see articles saying “Black man allegedly rapes woman” because that is thought to be racist.
It is possible for a woman to be a rapist.
Interracial rape occurs 50,000 to 1 Black on White. The media not reporting who commits violent attacks and targets White women is getting women raped and killed as they are not presented with the facts which the media is supposed to report on. These naive women who were raised by aloof parents live in a fairytale and think everyone and every group commits violent attacks and rapes equally. That’s not the case. It’s an example of anti white hate as anytime a white person is accused of something, his picture is plastered all over and the headline says “white male.” If the story doesn’t mention race, more likely than not it’s one of the usual suspects of the non white variety. Reporting the race of White men and not Blacks breeds unjustified animosity and hate toward White despite the reality of other groups actually being responsible for the majority of attacks despite being a smaller percentage of the population.
To the Editor (blogger, owner, whomever):
So we’re really going to leave this racist and backwards thinking diatribe on here? I mean, goodness!
We don’t remove uncomfortable thoughts. You are free to openly condemn it and we also condemn such blatant racism.
Isn’t this fact, though? Why would you condemn something as “ such blatant racism” when every single point articulated is factually correct? Interracial rapes occur at a ratio of 50,000 to 1 Black on White according to the 2005 FBI crime statistics ( the fbi stopped publishing race data in 2016).
I applaud you for allowing people to present diverse and differing viewpoints but why label something with a negative connotation like “such blatant racism” when someone just reports FBI crime statistics and legitimate observations about the news media and how they selectively reveal or omit race of those accused, witnessed, or video taped committing acts of violence?
Are we not supposed to tell the truth because it might offend someone?
Not only that but blacks with around 15% of the population commit over 1/2 of the murders. When violent crime of all sorts are investigated it is abhorrent that when violent crime involves 2 or more race OVER 90% of the perpetrators are black. And another interesting note with the increase of hate crime against Asians almost 90% were commuted by blacks. Time to go back to racial profiling and if crime doesn’t stop vigilante justice.
Thanks for pointing out that 90% of the recent attacks on Asians in big cities in the U.S. were perpetrated by Blacks. This is not supposition. We have hundreds and thousands of videos from security cameras showing these attacks and the perpetrators. The media and even the Asian community presents a false impression that Whites are responsible for this because they don’t call out those who actually commit the violence. It leads to a false narrative and causes people to express hatred toward Whites for something that’s false.
It is alarming that 3000 Asians can be attacked in one year in the U.S. and have extreme attention and commercials being put on tv that condemns this violence but millions of Whites who are victims of attacks at the hands of blacks (from harassment/assault/robbery to rape) get little mention and no commercials on tv.
The real racism that exists is anti white racism where all other groups are given a voice and can speak out but not Whites.
Not only that but blacks with around 15% of the population commit over 1/2 of all murders. When violent crime of all sorts are investigated it is abhorrent that when violent crime involves 2 or more race OVER 90% of the perpetrators are black. And another interesting note with the increase of hate crime against Asians almost 90% were commuted by blacks. Time to go back to racial profiling and if crime doesn’t stop vigilante justice.
She got raped and nobody notice? Nobody heard a thing? Everybody was asleep? Even the FA’s? This sounds very strange.
Exactly.
On a 767-300 in a 1-1-1 configuration ? I’m not doubting the victim’s case…but HOW is this possible.
The spacious restroom is another matter.
Hmm…lots of alcohol was consumed.
I don’t think the perpertrator had a knife to force her. But he could have been waiting for her as she exited the restroom and dragged her back in.
There are two versions of the UA 763 with new Polaris seating. One of them have two restrooms forward of the Polaris cabin – where the crew sits/kitchen and additional restrooms all the way at the back of economy. The other version has a restroom in the middle of the cabin just behind the Polaris cabin and in front of the Premium Plus. If my memory serves me right, this would make the most sense as the restroom is by itself and conceivably, no one would have seen the perp lying in wait if the victim used that restroom. Did she scream? How full was the flight?
I think there is more to this story.
Rape is a crime regardless and I hope they figure this out
It’s not United’s fault though.
Remember when Whoopie Goldberg said Polanski wasn’t guilty of ‘rape’ rape? Perhaps as was said upstream, the assault was digital in nature.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/29/roman-polanski-whoopi-goldberg
It’s very possible she passed out drunk and he took advantage if the situation. Maybe she work up when she felt him and he threatened her or stopped. There is no minimum time for a rape – could have been a few seconds or hours. More likely the former under the circumstances.
The key questions are what did he do specifically and did she consent (or was she capable of consenting)?
And for what it’s worth I have no reason to disbelieve the victim under the circumstances, absent more facts.
all the more reason the flight attendants should be up and about frequently pouring water and fluffing pollows, and checking on seat belt usage.
If someone can get the death penalty for rape then the death penalty should also be given to anyone falsely accusing someone of rape
Interesting choice of words … “don’t mean to
Go all sharia on you”? Funny… the US still uses capital punishment for violent criminals… not sure why you would choose to completely ignore that when it’s quite American, isn’t it?
I didn’t mean it in the Islamic sense, more in the more broadly Abrahamic religious sense. Actually much more to develop there if you would like me to. Your point is correct.