A French man has been accused of sexually abusing a sleeping woman seated next to him in the first-class cabin of a flight bound for Miami, and then leaving her a disturbing note, according to federal court documents.
Incident Details
Guillaume Sebastien Roger Mattler, 48, faces one count of abusive sexual contact following the incident that occurred on Tuesday, April 28, aboard Swiss International Air Lines Flight LX64 from Zurich to Miami, as detailed in a federal criminal complaint.
The 48-year-old and a 29-year-old woman, who were strangers to each other, were seated together in the first-class cabin during the international flight. The woman fell asleep, at which point two other passengers witnessed the alleged assault.
According to the complaint, the witnesses saw Mattler touching the sleeping woman. One passenger recorded several videos on his cellphone and alerted his friend, becoming increasingly concerned before notifying a flight attendant.
An FBI special agent wrote that one witness observed Mattler moving his hand in a 'submarine' motion, attempting to get his hand under the victim's clothing or between her legs. When the flight attendant arrived, they saw Mattler with his hand on the woman's crotch area, over her jeans, making a scooping or rubbing motion on her vagina.
Aftermath and Investigation
After the abuse, Mattler could not tell the flight attendant whether he knew the woman and was moved to a coach seat. When the attendant woke the woman and informed her of what had happened, she was shocked and began shaking and crying, according to court documents.
When Mattler returned to his original seat to collect his belongings, he allegedly tried to hand the victim a note that read, 'you look beautiful when you are sleeping.' The complaint added that he later claimed to investigators that 'nothing happened on the flight.' However, when confronted with video evidence, he admitted to touching the woman but said he did not think it was a big deal.
Mattler claimed he only touched her lower back and upper buttocks, but then disturbingly stated that 'he touched whatever he could reach from across the armrest.' He also said his initial intention was to get the woman's phone number and give her his, and he provided the note written on his business card with the message 'you look cute when you sleep,' along with flight information and his seat number.
He allegedly informed agents that he had taken photographs with his phone but deleted them before authorities could find them.
Legal Proceedings
Mattler appeared in Miami federal court on Wednesday, April 29, and is scheduled to return on Monday, May 4. Prosecutors are seeking to keep him detained, citing him as a flight risk and a danger to the community. Court documents also noted that he initially declined assistance from the French consulate.
