Recently, Michelle Wilson, a 52-year-old British tourist, reported that she was sexually assaulted by the paragliding operator during her vacation in Tunisia. The incident occurred while she was flying suspended in the air at an altitude of over 30 meters.
Michelle recounted that the Tunisian man, who was strapped behind her during the tandem flight, had behaved inappropriately and continuously whispered something in Arabic throughout the experience.
“I felt violated, dirty, and extremely scared,” Michelle shared.
Prior to this, she and a friend had planned to participate in tandem paragliding, but the staff informed them that the winds were too strong, so they had to fly separately, each accompanied by an instructor.
Her friend flew first and had a great experience, encountering no issues at all. Michelle stated that she clearly saw the significant distance between her friend’s body and the paraglider operator. However, the experience for the mother of three from Southport, Merseyside was completely different.
Michelle stated that the young man pressed against her and groped her during the paragliding adventure in Tunisia
“I could clearly feel the bikini bottoms being pulled up, then he tightened the safety harness as if to force me closer. His legs wrapped around me, one hand holding onto the paraglider equipment, the other hand not. I felt his hand touching my leg,” Michelle recalled.
“He groped, rubbed against me, and kept saying something in Arabic. I tried to arch my back to avoid it. I truly felt violated. He was a young guy, about 20 years old – and I felt completely powerless hanging suspended in the air.”
Michelle burst into tears as soon as she landed on the ground. She immediately reported the incident to the manager of the water sports center at the resort, then went to the local police station.
The trip to Sousse was a £6,000 (about 208 million VND) vacation that Michelle organized herself. She went with her 17-year-old daughter and twin 16-year-old sons, along with her daughter’s friend. However, after the incident, she stated that she could not enjoy anything for the rest of the vacation.
“As a woman, you can get used to being teased by men in these countries. But this time it was not teasing – it was a real sexual assault,” Michelle said.
Currently, she believes the suspect has been arrested. Michelle is also receiving support from her insurance company and the British Foreign Office.
EasyJet responded: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our top priority. We continue to support Ms. Wilson and are working closely with the hotel partner to investigate the incident.”