A man who sexually assaulted a teenager who was sitting next to him on an Alaska Airlines flight has been sentenced to serve prison time.

Trayton Ballot, 29, was convicted last year following the incident on January 15 during which he repeatedly rubbed the thigh of the 17-year-old girl sitting next to him on the overnight trip from Anchorage to Seattle.

He was sentenced to one and half years in prison, according to court records obtained by KIRO7.

Speaking at Ballot’s sentencing, the teenage victim said she was “trapped in a small place where I could not defend myself.” She added, “It was predatory, attacking me while I was asleep.”

According to court records the teen was flying with her mother and a friend but was seated away from them and in the window seat next to Ballot towards the back of the aircraft.

Ballot appeared to be asleep but then moved his hand onto the victim’s inner thigh and began rubbing her thigh, according to the Department of Justice.

The victim removed Ballot’s hand, but he replaced it twice more. After the third time the teenager lowered her tray table and wedged a stuffed animal under it to protect her lap.

“Despite those barriers, Ballot moved his hand under the armrest and attempted to place it over the victim’s thigh,” the DOJ said. “The victim pressed down on the stuffed animal to stop the assault and Ballot took his hand away.”

The girl alerted her mother, who was sitting in the row behind her, by typing into her phone that Ballot had touched her. She then notified the flight attendants who moved her to another seat.

Ballot was arrested as soon as the flight landed in Seattle and convicted following a two-day trial. The jury deliberated for just one hour in the case.

“Sexual assaults on airplanes are a distressingly prevalent risk of modern airline travel,” prosecutors said during the sentencing.

“In several ways, a plane is a uniquely vulnerable environment: passengers are often seated in close proximity to strangers, with little room and few options for removing themselves from unwanted situations.

“Passengers regularly attempt to sleep on planes while sitting next to unknown persons; and outside of a passenger’s immediate neighbors, there is limited visibility and a low likelihood of witnesses, particularly when cabin lights are dimmed.”

Ballot must complete 10 years of supervised release following his prison term.