Father of 2 who s3xually assaulted 12-year-old girl on plane and claimed he thought she was his wife is jailed

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 - A married father-of-two who groped a 12-year-old girl sleeping beside him on a plane before claiming he thought she was his wife has been jailed for 21 months.

According to Mail Online, Javed Inamdar, 34, repeatedly stroked the youngster's hand to 'test the waters' before assaulting her on the BA flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow on December 14 last year.

The girl woke up crying at around midnight, reportedly shouting: 'get the f*** away from me', and immediately informed cabin crew, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

Father-of-two Inamdar told a flight attendant that he 'may have confused the young girl with his wife'.

Inamdar is a foreign national from Mumbai 'without status in the UK' and had been provided housing by his employers while on conditional bail in the UK during his trial, the court heard 

He denied but was convicted by a jury of one count of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching.

He appeared in the dock at Isleworth Crown Court, assisted by a Hindi interpreter, sobbing throughout.

Lee Sergent, defending, said: 'He comes from a different part of the world in India. He has made some success of his life in India helping his family.

'He has been on bail in this country because his employers have backed him and got him housing in this country.

'Being on bail in this country has had a greater restriction on his life than a person from this country. He has not been able to see his wife or children.

'He has no right to stay in this country and if he was given a suspended sentence he would be leaving straight away on a plane.'

The court heard Inamdar's defence barrister was funded by taxpayer cash.

Passing sentencing, Judge Simon Davis said: 'This is a tragic case for the young girl.

'You got on that airplane and sat yourself down on the window seat. At that stage you thought you had the opportunity to assault her.

'You tested the waters by brushing her hand. You're shaking your head but the jury has found their verdict.

'That was an outrageous thing to do. This country will protect people like this young girl, especially at that young age.

'When she was horrified and protested, you ran as fast as you could, making up what you could say as a way of defence.

'I have decreased the sentence because of you waiting in this country and not being able to communicate with your wife, which in itself is another tragedy. I consider that as a material factor.'

The court heard Inamdar was arrested after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner touched down at Heathrow.

He told police that he was in a 'deep sleep' and did not remember touching the girl, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Burrington earlier referred jurors to witness statements from shocked passengers onboard.

Anna Miller, a passenger sat two rows in front of Inamdar and the complainant, said: 'About two-to-three hours into the flight I heard a young female's voice shout "stop touching me", "get off me".

'I saw a young female out of the corner of my eye - she seemed very distressed, saying "get the f*** away from me".'

Another witness sat next to the victim, who cannot be named, said: 'During the flight I went to sleep, and I was suddenly woken up by the girl next to me as she was yelling and screaming.

'I was quite startled and I asked what's wrong - she was speaking to me and her Mum.

'I heard her say the man next to her had touched her and had his hand up her top - she kept repeating this.

'She was completely freaked out, I think she might have been crying.

'The man in the seat next to her started saying he had been asleep, it was a mistake, and he hadn't realized what he was doing.'

The witness said Inamdar was 'quite tall' and was sitting next to the window 'wearing a hoodie with the hood up'.

British Airways cabin manager Rebecca Rooney said the girl was 'visibly distressed' and said she had 'her knees to her chest and was hugging herself.

'I asked her what happened, she stated the male in the seat next to her had put his hands up her jumper and had touched her breast.'

Ms Rooney said she then walked to the back of the plane to find the male and move him into another seat.

Inamdar, of no fixed address, was jailed for 21 months.