58-Year-Old Plane Passenger Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Teen Girl He Was Sitting Next to on Flight to Boston By Kimberlee Speakman

A man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a 16-year-old girl on a flight to Boston.

Patrick Noone, 58, pleaded guilty in Ennis Circuit Court in Ireland to two counts of sexual assault following the incident, which occurred on an Aer Lingus flight on Nov. 15, 2023, according to local outlets The Irish Times and RTÉ and Belfast Live.

Noone admitted in court to touching the teen inappropriately by rubbing and grabbing the teen’s butt, kissing her arm and rubbing her thigh, according to the Times.

Detective Garda Ruth O’Sullivan shared in court that the teen informed cabin crew on the Aer Lingus flight that she had been inappropriately touched by a man sitting beside her about an hour into the flight, at about 3:30 p.m.

Once the crew on board the flight from Shannon, Ireland, to Boston found out what was happening, they informed the plane’s captain, who made the decision to turn the plane around and return to Shannon Airport. 

O’Sullivan had previously noted in court that it cost approximately $33,500 (€28,213) to return the aircraft to Shannon Airport, per The Times.

Aer Lingus did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the case.

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Following the flight’s return, investigators collected statements from witnesses and the complainant on what happened before the flight once again departed to the U.S.

Attorney Antoinette Simon, who is representing Noone, told the court that the 58-year-old was a self-employed farmer with no prior convictions, per the outlets.

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Prosecuting attorney, Sarah Jane Comerford, told the judge in court that there was no connection between Noone and the complainant — who had been 16 at the time of the incident and was now 18 years old and studying in the U.S.

She was among four witnesses who submitted testimony via video-link to the court for the case.