A British tourist has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a gay man on board a cruise ship sailing to Australia.
The 71-year-old was travelling from Dunedin, New Zealand to Sydney on board the Discovery Princess cruise liner at the time of alleged attack.
Witnesses said the incident took place last Tuesday but that the man was not arrested until Saturday, once the cruise had docked in Sydney.
Fellow passenger Shell Guchi, who witnessed the alleged attack, told The Sun: ‘The assault took place while we were on board. We were not turned around.
‘He deserves the maximum penalty for this savagely brutal attack on an innocent gay man, after a verbal attack about him being gay.
‘The younger man left and the old b*****d followed him and savagely beat him,’ she added.
The Brit has since been charged with one count of assault occasioning bodily harm, which carries a penalty of five years imprisonment.
He is due to appear in court on February 18.
A British tourist has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a gay man on board a cruise ship sailing to Australia. Pictured: The Discovery Princess cruise ship, where the alleged assault took place
The Australian Federal Police’s Detective acting Superintendent Trevor Robinson said: ‘The repercussions of alleged criminal behaviour remain even when an offence occurs at sea.
‘Where Australian law applies under the Crimes at Sea framework, the AFP will move swiftly to investigate incidents and bring alleged offenders before the courts.’
He continued: ‘We work closely with cruise operators and maritime partners to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, and to make it clear unlawful behaviour on vessels connected to Australia will be addressed.’
