Diplomat 'terrorised' attendant

2003-10-22 18:40

Johannesburg - A South African diplomat, convicted of indecent assault, was fined R3 000 (or six months imprisonment) by a Kempton Park magistrate's court on Wednesday, a court official said.

Wally Wolmarans said Jerome Barnes, 45, was convicted of indecently assaulting an South African Airways (SAA) flight attendant during a flight to London in May last year.

SAA spokesperson Rich Mkhondo said Barnes, who had served with the department of foreign affairs for the past eight years, was flying from Johannesburg to London, where he was based, when the incident happened on May 6, 2002.

Mkhondo said Barnes had "terrorised" the flight staff who "had their hands full controlling him in a confined space."

In passing sentence the magistrate said she found Barnes' evidence that nothing had happened "unreliable and made up out of his imagination."

However, the flight attendant and other witnesses were credible.

Mkhondo said the airline was pleased with the outcome of the case which showed that infringements of the international aviation laws that endangered the safety of the plane, passengers and crew would not be tolerated.

The flight attendant herself was traumatised by the indecent assault and would file a civil suit to damages for medical expenses and loss of income. The airline would fully support her in this, Mkhondo said.

The foreign affairs department was not immediately available for comment, but it was believed that Barnes would not be given another overseas posting.

- SAPA