British airline faces suit over sex abuse

A London law firm is suing British Airways over claims that its pilot sexually abused 16 girls from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for over 10 years.

Leigh Day, which represented Mau Mau veterans in a compensation case against the British government, on Wednesday said the airline’s pilot Simon Wood, who has since died, took advantage of BA’s community outreach in East Africa to defile the children who were aged between five and 13.

Lawyer Nichola Marshall, who is handling the case, told the Nation that British Airways is “precariously liable” because Mr Wood knew the children because of the airline’s community services.

“He was able to gain the trust of the girls by virtue of being in employment of British Airways,” she said on phone from London.

Mr Wood is alleged to have met the girls in Nairobi as he worked in the company’s corporate social responsibility programme in slums.

British Airways runs the charity in countries where it flies. Two of the girls are now over 18, but the law firm charges that Mr Wood defiled them from 2003 to 2013.

The pilot died last year in a train accident before he was due to stand trial on charges of child pornography.

Ms Marshall said his death will not affect the case.

“His death is probably significant for the children because they may never get an apology from him,” she said “But in terms of the legal case, it will proceed anyway.”

SIX MONTHS TO RESPOND

In November last year, Leigh Day officially notified British Airways of the allegations and gave it six months to respond. The parties did not agree and the law firm decided to sue.

In a response e-mailed to the Nation on Wednesday, the company said it was “shocked and horrified” by the allegations, which it said appeared to relate to Mr Wood’s activities outside the scope of his employment.

“Our sympathies are with the victims.”