Flight attendant filmed: 18.5 years in prison for secret recordings

Flight attendant filmed: 18.5 years in prison for secret recordings

A former flight attendant who is accused of having attached his mobile phone to the lid of an aircraft toilet to secretly film young girls was sentenced to almost 20 years in prison on Wednesday.

Details on the judgment

The former American Airlines flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, received a prison sentence of 18.5 years, followed by five years of ongoing withdrawal. Judge Julia Kobick from the US district court in Boston described his behavior as "frightening" and emphasized that the innocence of the children concerned had been lost through his actions.

arrest and indictment

Thompson was arrested and accused in Lynchburg, Virginia in January 2024, after a 14-year-old passenger discovered his secret recording device in the toilet on his flight. Last year he was charged with attempted sexual abuse of children and the possession of images of sexual abuse of abuse of minors, prepublished victims.

confession and apology

In the court, he apologized on Wednesday and described his actions as "selfish, perverse and wrong." According to the police, Thompson, who comes from Charlotte, North Carolina, had pictures of four other girls aged 7 to 14 who used the aircraft toilets over a period of nine months.

The effects on the victims

In a criminal memo submitted to the court, US government lawyers expressed that Thompson "took her innocence and faith in the world and people who meet them there and instead left her behind with fear, distrust, uncertainty and sadness."

treatment and further steps

Thompson, who will be served in FMC Butner in North Carolina, has to claim special treatment for sex offenders, his lawyers said. A lawyer from Thompson stated by email that he would not make any further comments.