Man jailed over sex attack on Mumbai to Manchester flight

Police say Hardeep Singh will be deported to India once he has served his sentence. Photo / Police handout

A tourist has been sentenced to 12 months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman on a flight from Mumbai to Manchester in February.

Hardeep Singh from Hoshiarpur, India, was apprehended at England's Manchester Airport on Feb. 23 upon landing. Police say he targeted a young woman seated next to him and "subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault," after nearby passengers fell asleep, reports the BBC.

The Indian national, who admitted three counts of sexual assault, had been visiting the UK on a six-month tourist visa.

Police say he was sitting next to the woman, aged in her 20s, when he asked if the passenger sitting on the other side of her was her mother.

When she got up to use the toilet he refused to move aside, forcing her to squeeze past him.

Later, after the lights on the aircraft were turned down and the woman and other passengers had gone to sleep under their blankets, Singh attacked the sleeping woman.

During the 15 minute assault Singh pinned the woman down with his legs until she managed to struggle free.

"From the outset of the flight, Singh's behavior was despicable," said Detective Constable Catherine Evans of the Greater Manchester Police.

"Numbed with fear, it was only after she summoned the strength to overpower him that she was able to run away and raise the alarm."

The force said Singh will be deported back to India after serving his sentence.