British Airways faces a lawsuit over accusations from a group of women and girls who allege they were sexually assaulted by the airlines' pilot who is now dead.
Simon Wood, 54, allegedly molested 16 African women and girls during flight stopovers, lawyers of the victim said. He reportedly molested young girls during stopovers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania whilst flying for British Airways and as a result, the airline is being held responsible.
Wood was found dead last year August after being struck by a train near Potters Bar station. He was due to appear at Southwark Crown Court August 30, 2013, charged with one count of indecent assault of a girl under 16, two counts of making indecent photographs of a child and one count of possessing indecent images of a child.
The law firm Leigh Day is representing the alleged victims, currently aged between 8 and 20 years of age.
A coroner ruled Wood "took his own life", Wednesday. According to the Independent.ie, Graham Danbury, Deputy Coroner for Hertfordshire, said: "I'm satisfied that, as a result of having been charged with offences, he was in a state of considerable distress which would have been understandable. He felt that his only way out was to take his own life."
Lawyer Nichola Marshall, from Leigh Day, said, "We allege that Wood was able to abuse the victims, by reason of his employment with the airline, in particular through his involvement with the airlines' community relations work."
However, the airlines said it was "shocked and terrified" over the allegations against Wood. A spokesman of British Airways said the conduct of one person led to such distress to thousands of the people who engage in charitable works on a regular basis, reports BBC.
