A flight attendant who secretly filmed young girls in airliner bathrooms is off to jail for 18.5 years. Estes Carter Thompson III was caught by one of his targets, who spotted a cellphone taped to the lid of the toilet he had directed her to use. Thompson, charged in 2024 with attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse images, apologized in court and admitted his actions were "selfish, perverse and wrong."
Police say Thompson made several recordings over a 9-month period; footage was found of four other girls, between 7 and 14 years old, using aircraft lavatories. He pleaded guilty in March.
According to investigators, the girl got up to use the main cabin lavatory nearest to her seat during a September 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston but found it was occupied. Thompson told her the first-class lavatory was unoccupied and escorted her there, investigators said. She told investigators that before she entered the bathroom, Thompson told her he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat was broken.
After he left, the teen entered the bathroom and saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which was in the open position, officials said, with the words written in black ink and all caps, "inoperative catering equipment," "remove from service," and "seat broken." Beneath the stickers, Thompson had concealed his iPhone to record a video, investigators said. The girl used her phone to take a picture of the stickers and concealed iPhone before leaving.
Prosecutors said that Thompson "robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world and the people they would encounter in it, instead leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity, and sadness."
Previously:
• German airline Lufthansa given record $4m fine after refusing to board Jews on Frankfurt flight
• In-flight 'brawl' between American Airlines stewards leads to lawsuit
• 4 passengers share how they got permanently banned from major airlines
• Airline passenger who tried to open jet door in flight given a £85,000 bill
