An American Airlines flight attendant pleaded not guilty on Monday to taping his iPhone to a first class toilet seat to record young girls in the restroom.
Estes Carter Thompson III was indicted last month on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor, The Associated Press reported.
Thompson was caught on September 2, 2023, midway through a Charlotte to Boston flight when a 14-year-old girl got up to use the main cabin restroom and found it occupied. Thompson escorted her to the first class lavatory, but first went inside to allegedly wash his hands.
When the girl entered, she saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which were holding in iPhone set up to record with the phone’s flashlight on. The girl took pictures with her own phone and told her father, who informed other flight attendants.
Investigators ultimately found records of girls aged 7, 9, 11, and 14 on Thompson’s phone, all recorded in aircraft restrooms. They also found hundreds of images of child sexual abuse generated through artificial intelligence on Thompson’s iCloud account. He has been in custody since his arrest in January.
The families of the 14- and 9-year-old girls have already filed suit against American Airlines and Thompson over the incidents, KDFW reported. In its response to the 9-year-old’s lawsuit, attorneys for the airline and its insurance company said that the girl “knew or should have known [the compromised lavatory] contained a visible and illuminated recording device,” prompting outrage from the attorney who filed the lawsuits.
“There is no world where it is ever appropriate to blame a 9-year-old for being filmed,” said attorney Paul Llewellyn.
The airline has since responded, saying it agrees.
“The included defense is not representative of our airline, and we have directed it be amended … ,” the airline said in a statement. “We do not believe this child is at fault, and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.”
Llewelyn said the airline only made the change because he called them out.
Thompson has not worked for the airline since the 14-year-old found his iPhone, the AP said. He is due in court again in July.
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[Featured image: Estes Carter Thompson III/Lynchburg Adult Detention Center and toilet seat showing iPhone attached and activated/Lewis & Llewellyn LLP via AP]
