British Airways passenger avoids jail despite sexually assaulting woman throughout seven-hour flight

During the flight, he repeatedly touched his victim's leg and attempted to pull her towards him.

He also placed his arms around her shoulders and told her he was searching for a "life partner".

The woman was forced to seek help from cabin crew, who moved her to a different section of the aircraft.

Krilavicius was detained by police upon landing at Heathrow and gave no comment during questioning.

The assault began shortly after Krilavicius took his seat beside the victim.

He initially placed his hand on her knee and squeezed it as he stood to use the toilet. Upon returning, he put both hands on her shoulders.

The unwanted physical contact then escalated, with the 45-year-old repeatedly touching and squeezing her knee before moving his hands further up her leg.

He threw his arms around her and attempted to embrace her.

When the woman told him to stop and made clear she was not interested, he continued regardless - before flinging his arms around her once more and trying to pull her down towards his lap.

The victim pushed him away and left her seat to find cabin staff for protection.

Mr Recorder Arwel Jones, the sentencing judge, said custody was warranted despite ultimately suspending the Lithuanian's sentence.

"Your actions were deeply unpleasant for your fellow passenger who was travelling alone and trying to get through a flight, as anybody does, when they are on a long, international flight," he told Krilavicius.

The judge noted the victim occupied an extremely vulnerable position, trapped at altitude with no opportunity to escape her assailant.

"Right from the outset you began to pester her," Mr Jones said.

He described the offending as sustained, given it continued over a prolonged period.

"Passengers on international flights have enough to contend with without fellow passengers like you engaging in such vile behaviour as this," the judge added.

Prosecutor Ivan Clarke told the court the victim detected alcohol on Krilavicius when he sat down beside her.

He attempted to engage her in conversation repeatedly, despite receiving only brief, dismissive responses.

"It should have been obvious to the defendant that she did not want to talk to him," Mr Clarke said.

After going to the toilet, "the defendant started to make small talk again which the victim tried, effectively, to ignore", the prosecutor explained.

The victim described becoming "extremely anxious" when using trains or planes following the assault.

"I often use public transport and since the incident I panic and become paranoid when in close proximity to males," she said. "During my first flight following the assault I sat in my chair and cried throughout the entire journey."

Defence barrister George Payne said his client recognised his behaviour represented a "flagrant breach of the victims personal and psychological boundaries".

The offender, of Marcus Street, Stratford, east London, was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must pay £500 compensation to his victim and remain on the sex offenders register for 10 years.