A Seattle man, Milan Edward Jurkovic, was sentenced to eight months in prison for groping a teen girl on a flight from Paris to Washington state in 2022. The incident occurred on an Air France flight, where Jurkovic assaulted the girl while she was traveling with a school group. Jurkovic was convicted of abusive sexual contact following a three-day jury trial, and U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik expressed that the assault “shouldn’t have happened.”
The victim, who sat next to Jurkovic for hours on the flight, was shocked and frozen with fear when he began groping her thigh under a blanket. Despite her initial shock, she sought help from a classmate and then her chaperone, who traded places with her for the rest of the flight. Upon landing at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Port of Seattle Police met the flight and interviewed the girl. Jurkovic told inconsistent stories to different people, initially claiming he was rubbing his leg due to bad circulation and later stating he had an itch on his leg, denying any intentional harm.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington emphasized the traumatic impact of such assaults on vulnerable young people, particularly when trapped in an aircraft cabin with adults they trust to behave appropriately. U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman commended the victim for bravely speaking up and reiterated a zero-tolerance policy for aircraft sexual assaults, stating that predators will be prosecuted.
Jurkovic’s attorney, as listed in court records, could not be immediately reached for comment following the sentencing hearing. The sentence handed down by Judge Lasnik highlights the severity of the crime and the need to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. The victim, a member of a school group from western Washington returning from an overseas class trip, endured an extended period of unwanted touching during the flight.
The case serves as a reminder of the importance of speaking up and seeking help in situations of harassment or assault, even in confined spaces such as an aircraft cabin. The swift response of the victim in alerting her classmates and chaperone, as well as the subsequent investigation by law enforcement, helped ensure that Jurkovic was held accountable for his actions. Moving forward, it is essential to continue raising awareness about the prevalence of such incidents and the importance of taking action to protect vulnerable individuals from harm.
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