true crime

A man "grabbed and stroked" Ariana on a plane. She live-tweeted everything that happened next.

The experience of a woman who was “grabbed and stroked” by a male passenger while boarding a flight perfectly exemplifies why women so often stay silent when if comes to reporting assault.

Ariana Lenarsky live-tweeted everything that happened in the aftermath of the incident, which took place while she was boarding a flight from Austin, Texas yesterday.

Lenarsky went straight to airline staff and was told another woman had already come forward with a complaint — about the same dude.

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The flight attendants told the captain who filed a report with the airline and told he’d face local authorities on the ground.

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She wasn’t particularly moved by their response.

The man was taken off the plane by police, who took reports from the two women and labelled what they described as “battery”.

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The man allegedly tried to kiss the other woman.

Because it happened in the air, she was told the FBI would be involved if she decided to press charges.

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Meanwhile Lenarsky was told she’d have to fly all the way back to Texas.

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She was also told the man would receive a “talking to” and not to worry because although it might be “battery”, “it’s not the crime of the century”.

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Basically, Lenarsky left feeling exhausted, “ridiculous” and embarrassed and the dude who touched her body without her consent…well, he just left.

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