A former crew member for Holland America Line was sentenced to 30 years and five months in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for the brutal attack and attempted murder of a female passenger last year, according to the US Department of Justice.
Ketut Pujayasa, who is an Indonesian citizen, admitted to FBI agents that he entered the woman's stateroom with his company-issued master key, and hid on the balcony waiting for her to return.
Earlier while delivering room service, Pujayasa said the woman disrespected him and his parents by referring to him as a "son of a b____."
The victim, a 32-year-old American woman, was assaulted by Pujayasa while on a seven-day western Caribbean charter cruise.
Pujayasa told FBI agents that when the woman got into bed, he immediately choked and punched her numerous times. According to the complaint, Pujayasa struck the woman with a laptop and curling iron, and tried to strangle her with a telephone cord and a curling iron cord. The victim was rendered unconscious at least once during the attack, at which time Pujayasa sexually assaulted her.
The brutal attack continued onto the stateroom's balcony where Pujayasa tried to throw her overboard.
The woman was able to escape after stabbing Pujayasa with a corkscrew, according to the report. She escaped into the hallway and found another passenger who administered first aid.
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Pujayasa was placed under guard and the crime scene was secured. According to Holland America Line, Pujayasa was immediately fired.
The company says Pujayasa was hired in 2012 after a careful screening that included a clean criminal history check. He had good references and no prior performance issues, according to the company.
Pujayasa pled guilty to the attack in September. He is expected to be deported after serving out his sentence.
