London: Girls and young women who allege they were sexually abused by a British Airways (BA) pilot in African schools and orphanages plan to sue the airline, a law firm representing them said on Wednesday.
Lawyers argue that BA should be held responsible for the actions of First Officer Simon Wood who carried out the alleged crimes during stopovers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Wood, 54, was found dead after being hit by a train in August 2013, two weeks before he was due in court on charges of indecent assault and making indecent photos of a child.
"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," said Nichola Marshall, a lawyer at Leigh Day which is representing 16 alleged victims aged from eight to 20.
"The schools and orphanages that our clients attended were all in receipt of charitable donations from the airline, and Wood played a key role in administering those donations, on behalf of British Airways."
A team from the law firm would meet with other possible victims in Kenya and Uganda in the coming weeks, she said.
"We were shocked and horrified to hear the allegations against Simon Wood, which appear to relate to his involvement in child-related activities entirely outside the scope of his employment with British Airways," BA said in a statement.
The case will be heard in a London court.
Lawyers argue that BA should be held responsible for the actions of First Officer Simon Wood who carried out the alleged crimes during stopovers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Wood, 54, was found dead after being hit by a train in August 2013, two weeks before he was due in court on charges of indecent assault and making indecent photos of a child.
"The schools and orphanages that our clients attended were all in receipt of charitable donations from the airline, and Wood played a key role in administering those donations, on behalf of British Airways."
Advertisement
"We were shocked and horrified to hear the allegations against Simon Wood, which appear to relate to his involvement in child-related activities entirely outside the scope of his employment with British Airways," BA said in a statement.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2014
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Children In Uganda Recreate Trump's Assassination Attempt, Internet Concerned UK Government, British Airways Sued Over 1990 Kuwait Hostage Flight Match Fixing At T20 World Cup? Player Approached Mysteriously, ICC Does This 'Entire NEET Paper Solved In 45 Minutes Before Exam?': Top Court To Centre "Had God On My Side": Donald Trump Recounts Being Shot At During Rally 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters "Every Time I Try To Eat Healthy" - Video Creator's Editing Skills Amaze Internet Watch: Comedian's Wholesome Interaction With Indian-Origin Woman Is Viral Donald Trump Accepts Republican Nomination Amid Chants Of USA From Crowd Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.