Sailor jailed for molesting two women at Lucky Plaza

As Oleksandr walked past the victim, he grabbed her jacket and molested her before she pushed him away. He smiled and apologised to her before walking away with his friend.

The victim returned to her office and informed her colleague, who called the police. Oleksandr was arrested at about 2.40am and released later that day.

But just two days later, he molested another woman at a convenience store in Lucky Plaza.

The second victim, who worked at the store, was arranging items when Oleksandr approached her in the early hours of Sept 1.

He made a remark and a gesture meant to insult her modesty, which shocked the victim. He then molested her.

When the woman walked away, Oleksandr continued to approach her and tried to speak to her.

The victim asked her male colleague for help and hid in a storeroom.

She made a police report on Sept 7. Oleksandr was charged in court on Sept 9 and has been in remand since then.

Oleksandr, who did not have a lawyer and attended court via video link, said through an interpreter during mitigation: “I feel really sorry. I want to apologise.”

He added: “I understood that I shouldn’t drink at all, in any case.”

District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said the molesting of the first victim involved an intrusive and deliberate act, while Oleksandr’s act towards the second victim was a demeaning intrusion into her private part.

Speaking to Oleksandr, Judge Sharmila said: “Your pursuit of the victim after she walked away is a further aggravating factor.”

After he was sentenced, Oleksandr asked if he could make a phone call to Ukraine, but the judge permitted only one local call.

For each charge of outrage of modesty, he could have been jailed for a maximum of three years, fined, caned, or any combination of such punishments.