A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman on a flight to Australia made a request to be granted bail in order to stay at a spacious eight-bedroom Airbnb property. However, the magistrate ruled that the Airbnb accommodation was not suitable for his release, and he will remain in custody at Hakea Prison in Western Australia.

Sudhir Kumar Chauhan, aged 52, appeared in court in Perth after being charged with one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecent assault for an incident that allegedly took place on a Scoot Airlines flight from Singapore to Perth on April 13. Chauhan, an Indian national, was traveling for business with a colleague from Mumbai.

According to prosecutors, Chauhan was seated in the aisle, with the victim in the middle seat and another passenger at the window seat, all of whom were strangers. The court heard that Chauhan tried to conceal his actions by covering his hand and the woman’s lap with a blanket while allegedly touching her inappropriately for over 10 minutes, even though the woman was awake throughout the ordeal.

The prosecution argued against granting bail, citing concerns that other individuals could also stay at the Airbnb property simultaneously, posing a risk of further incidents given the nature of the alleged offense. The magistrate ultimately refused bail, stating that the proposed living arrangements were too uncertain and inappropriate for the serious nature of the allegations.

Chauhan was remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear at the Perth Magistrates Court via video link on July 10 for further proceedings.