A man who sexually assaulted a woman on a plane while she slept in the seat next to him has been jailed in the US.

Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 34, was also sitting next to his wife on the overnight flight in January.

The Indian man, who moved to the US in 2015, has now been sentenced to nine years in prison.

During his trial, the 23-year-old woman said she woke up during the journey and “saw his hands inside” her.

Ramamoorthy had molested the victim while unbuttoning her blouse and unzipping her trousers as she slept.

Prabhu Ramamoorthy was jailed for nine years: Wayne County Sheriff’s Office

The victim said that she felt “petrified, frozen” during the assault.

She watched the sentencing hearing from the first row of the court, accompanied by her boyfriend.

US attorney Matthew Schneider said: “Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on aeroplanes. We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out.”

Prosecutors asked the court for a sentence of nearly 11 years but James Amberg, Ramamoorthy’s defence lawyer, had asked the court for a sentence of less than 10 years.

US District Judge Terrence Berg said he hoped the jail term would be “grave enough” to deter others from committing similar assaults.

Ramamoorthy arrived in the US on a work visa in 2015 and lives in Detroit with his wife.

The couple were flying from Las Vegas to Detroit with Spirit Airlines after a trip to the Grand Canyon.

Ramamoorthy declined to make a statement before receiving his sentence.

The judge noted his lack of remorse but said that the 35-year-old had the right to stay silent.

A jury convicted Ramamoorthy in August.

He will be deported to India after serving his prison term.

Mr Amberg told the judge that the conviction would bring “severe and lifelong consequences” to Ramamoorthy and his wife when they returned to India.

“His life is effectively over,” the lawyer said.

Additional reporting by agencies