A flight attendant who secretly filmed young girls by taping his phone to an aeroplane toilet has been given a near two-decade prison sentence.
Estes Carter Thompson III, formerly of American Airlines, received 18.5 years behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release. Boston U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick condemned his actions as "appalling", stating that the child victims’ "innocence has been lost" due to his behaviour.
Thompson was arrested and charged in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia, after authorities said a 14-year-old girl on his flight discovered his secret recording setup in the lavatory. He was indicted last year on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a prepubescent minor.
He apologised in court Wednesday, describing his actions as “selfish, perverse and wrong.”
Police alleged Thompson, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of four other girls between the ages of 7 and 14 using aircraft lavatories over a 9-month period.
In a sentencing memorandum submitted in court, U.S. government attorneys said 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.”
Thompson, who will serve his sentence at FMC Butner in North Carolina, intends to undergo sex offender-specific treatment, his attorneys said. A lawyer for Thompson said via email Wednesday he wouldn’t be commenting.
