Horrific injuries of female guest raped, beaten and almost thrown overboard by attendant on Holland America cruise

Horrific injuries of female guest raped, beaten and almost thrown overboard by attendant on Holland America cruise

MS Nieuw Amsterdam

• A civil lawsuit was filed on Friday in a Seattle district court on behalf of Jane Doe, seeking $50m compensation and $365m in punitive damages
• Room service attendant Ketut Pujayasa used his company-issued master key to enter the cabin of Jane Doe
• He beat her about the head with a laptop and repeatedly strangled her unconscious before raping her
• The victim's screams were reported by fellow passengers but staff took 45 minutes to respond - and then could not access her room
• She was airlifted to hospital following attack on February 14, 2014. The victim was left with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD
• Pujayasa confessed and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison  

A female guest who was raped, brutally beaten and strangled unconscious on a Holland America ship by a crew member is suing the cruise company.

A civil lawsuit was filed on Friday in a Seattle district court on behalf of Jane Doe who was almost thrown overboard by her rapist during the fight for her life on Valentine's Day last year on MS Nieuw Amsterdam.

Room service attendant Ketut Pujayasa used his company-issued, master key to enter the cabin of Jane Doe, then 31, where he was able to lurk on her balcony for several hours until she returned.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT 

Ketut Pujayasa pleaded guilty in a Miami courtroom last September to rape and attempted murder. He was convicted and is serving 30 years

Holland America was 'grossly negligent', Jane Doe's attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey told Daily Mail Online on Wednesday, in allowing Pujayasa access to a master key which was 'applicable to all cabins'.

Mr Hickey, a maritime law specialist with more than 30 years experience, added: 'To top it off, the cruise line's system is that when the other passengers dial 911 they get the front desk, not security, and the front desk responds to the scene some 45 minutes to an hour later and does not even have access to the cabin?

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Ketut Pujayasa pleaded guilty in a Miami courtroom last September to rape and attempted murder. He was convicted and is serving 30 years

'If this is not the definition of outrageous, I don't know what is.' 

On February 14, 2014, the married woman, who was on the cruise with a group of friends but had a room to herself, returned around midnight and got ready for bed.

As she climbed into the bed and turned off the lights, in the shadows, she became aware of a figure lurking on the stateroom balcony. 

Pujayasa, a 29-year-old employee originally from Indonesia, pounced on the woman.

During the sustained attack, which lasted close to an hour, Pujayasa punched her, smashed heavy blunt objects into her head including a laptop, and threw her across the room.

The rapist attempted to strangle his victim with his hands and then used a telephone cord and a curling iron cord.

The victim lost consciousness during the attack where she was raped and sexually assaulted.

Pujayasa pulled the woman to her room's balcony and tried to throw her overboard into the dark waters. 

She screamed repeatedly but no one responded. 

The victim was able to hold on to the door handle to prevent being dragged on to the balcony.

Mr Hickey said it was only by having a certain degree of physical strength as part of her career as an aerialist, that his client was able to hold on.

The victim eventually escaped herself. She managed to wrestle free of Pujayasa, opened the door to her cabin on her own, and ran into the hall where other passengers had congregated.