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Jury convicts man of sexually assaulting woman on flight

By Associated Press
Published: January 23, 2020, 9:06am

SEATTLE  — A 42-year-old California man has been convicted by a federal jury in Seattle of two felony charges stemming from the sexual assault of a woman on a flight from London to Seattle.

Babak Rezapour, of Van Nuys, California, was convicted Wednesday of abusive sexual contact in a special aircraft jurisdiction and abusive sexual contact with an incapacitated victim, The Seattle Times reported. The jury deliberated about two-and-a-half hours following a five-day jury trial in which Rezapour denied the allegations. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 24.

The charges allege Rezapour repeatedly assaulted a 22-year-old woman on the flight on Jan. 10, 2018.

The woman had taken prescribed anti-anxiety and anti-nausea medicine and drank two glasses of wine, including one purchased for her by Rezapour, court documents said. Afterward, she “described feeling hazy and had difficulty remaining awake.”

The complaint states that a Norwegian Air crew member later found the woman “visibly shaken and crying,” near the restrooms. The woman told the crew member what happened, and she was moved to the front of the plane, documents said.

Rezapour denied that he had touched the woman but witnesses said otherwise. Laboratory tests showed that his DNA was inside the woman’s underwear, according to the court records.

Rezapour’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

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