A British mother of three had a horrifying experience while parasailing in Africa, as she was sexually assaulted mid-air by the parasail operator. Michelle Wilson, 52, recounted the incident where she was strapped into a harness with the operator who proceeded to press himself against her and grope her while they were soaring through the sky off the beach in Sousse, Tunisia.
Wilson described feeling the back of her bikini bottoms being pulled and the strap being tightened by the operator to get closer to her. She felt violated as he groped her and moved back and forth against her, speaking to her in Arabic. Despite her attempts to resist by arching her back, she was left feeling scared and dirty by the assault.
The incident occurred after Wilson was told it was too windy to parasail with her friend, so they had to go separately with their designated operators. While her friend had a great time with no issues, Wilson was subjected to the assault that left her in tears as soon as she landed back on the ground. She reported the incident to the local police, but the experience had already ruined her vacation.
The British tourist, who was on the trip with her 17-year-old daughter and 16-year-old twin sons, spent $8,000 for the vacation to Tunisia. She believes that the perpetrator has been arrested, with British authorities and her insurance company assisting in the case. EasyJet, the airline with whom Wilson booked the trip, is also looking into the assault.
Wilson expressed her shock and disappointment at the incident, emphasizing that while she expected some banter from men in foreign countries, the assault crossed the line into sexual misconduct. The traumatic experience serves as a reminder of the dangers that women can face while traveling, even during seemingly harmless activities like parasailing.
Karim Al-Nabli, Secretary General of the Chamber of Naval Rules for Tourism Activation in Sousse, affiliated with the Organisation of Customs, said that the incident, which was circulated by foreign media, the details of which date back to July 20, 2025.
The spokesman said, during his intervention in the “Morning of Roses” program, that a 52-year-old British Harifa, applied with her family members to participate in a parachute tour, and she took the initiative to board with a member of the naval base, and ended her tour (not exceed 4 minutes) without registering any observation on being harassed or sexually assaulted as she later claimed, then asked her friend to go through the experience, who in turn boarded and expressed her admiration for the flight, to the extent that she gave the person who accompanied her in the umbrella (a tip).
The spokesman said that “the problems occurred with her son (16 years old), who expressed his displeasure at not being able to drive a water bike and use it for more time, especially since the presence of the wind required the presence of facilities with him, which is a thing that is applicable, whether in the use of a water bike or even the umbrella,” he said.
Karim Al-Nabli said, “The British tourist contacted the official at the naval base and expressed her anger over what happened with her son, then went to the reception and asked to contact the tour guide, and told her at that time “about being subjected to sexual harassment and assault” by her facilities on the air umbrella, and the guide in turn informed her departments and contacted the security units and submitted a complaint.”
He pointed out that “the British tourist refused to attend when summoned to combat with the person concerned, and demanded in a phone call gathered by the tourist guide during the investigation, to provide compensation for her stay in the hotel
Such a big liar. There are videos everywhere showing her smiling and cheerful the moment she landed, greeting people as if nothing had happened. She looked completely relaxed and happy throughout, not a sign of distress. Then, her friend was exiled just to go after her. She never claimed anything at the time — not a single complaint or accusation. But just one day after she returned from her trip, having finished a full week’s holiday with her husband and three children (and let’s not forget, her eldest son, a teenager, was there too), she suddenly went to the media with a story. And what did she ask for? Not justice, not truth — only compensation. That alone exposed her real face and true intentions.