Cruise ship worker gave a passenger a bizarre ‘birthday cake’ – before he broke into her room and did the unthinkable

A depraved cruise ship worker molested a US tourist after luring her in with a bizarre ‘birthday cake’ before using a staff swipe card to sneak into her cabin.

Filipino-born Fernando Saises, 46, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court on Monday to committing an act of indecency.

The former 20-year Princess Cruise Lines veteran was the stateroom steward on the Royal Princess when he molested the 61-year-old American woman on her birthday in March last year.

The steward initially targeted his victim with the promise of a ‘surprise’ he had for her birthday. 

A few days later, while the ship was in international waters between Australia and New Zealand, the victim returned to her cabin to find a ‘birthday cake made of towels’ and a card which said: ‘Happy Birthday From Fernando!’

Saises then used his staff swipe card to enter the victim’s cabin just minutes later.

The court heard Saises grabbed the victim’s face with both hands and stuck his tongue in her mouth. 

The victim begged Saises to stop and attempted to fend him off but instead he put his hands over the back of her head and molested her. 

Cruise creep Fernando Saises, 46, was handed a suspended jail term on Monday after pleading guilty in the Melbourne County Court to committing an act of indecency

Saises left the victim this ‘birthday cake made of towels’ and a card which said: ‘Happy Birthday From Fernando!’

 Saises left the room but soon returned to continue his attack.

He knelt in front of the victim while she sat trembling on her bed, grabbed her face with both hands and ran his tongue over it.

Saises then ran his hands down her face along her cheeks and onto her neck, and used both hands to touch the rest of her body.

Saises also put his hands on her hip and backside and put his face into her breasts and pulled her close to him.

The victim stood up and attempted to push her attacker away but Saises wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up off the ground. 

Saises squeezed her so hard that she felt her back crack, the court was told. 

The victim also recalled she felt Saises was sexually aroused when he pressed into her stomach and groin while he squeezed her.

The court heard the victim became ‘hysterical’ and demanded she be let go so Saises ‘slammed her down’. 

Saises molested the US tourist while onboard the Royal Princess (pictured)

Saises, who currently lives in Deer Park in Melbourne’s northwest, was convicted and handed a six-month suspended jail term

Saises also ordered his victim to ‘lower her voice or she would get him fired’.

He then smacked the frightened victim’s backside.

The victim again begged Saises, a father of two to leave, telling the sex attacker that she was married. 

He replied that he was married as well, and that he ‘liked older women’ and ‘thought she was attractive’.

The victim told Saises her friends were nearby but the sinister creep pulled out a device which showed the location of where people were on the ship.

Saises then snarled at his victim, telling her that he ‘knew where her friends were’.

The victim told Saises she was ‘scared’ and again begged him to leave her cabin and he eventually did but only after claiming he received a call from another guest. 

The victim took this opportunity to flee her cabin via the balcony and seek the help of friends who were in the neighbouring cabin.

She found safety then reported the sexual assault to ship security who investigated and interviewed Saises. 

Saises told security he touched the victim but ‘not in a sexual manner’.

During the recorded interview, Saises claimed he gave the victim a ‘hug’ then ‘they talked and hugged again’.

Saises claimed the victim ‘used to hug him all the time’ but he admitted entering the US tourist’s room ‘without asking permission’ and he ‘kissed her on the neck but did not touch her in any other way’.

Saises was handed to police after the Royal Princess, a $735million ship with the capacity to host 3,560 passengers, docked in Melbourne on March 13 last year.

Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police boarded the ship and collected evidence including swipe card records, the victim’s dress, CCTV and the ship’s log.

CCTV and swipe card evidence proved Saises had been in and out of the victim’s room over a 25-minute period.

Police also photographed the creepy towel cake. 

Saises gave a largely ‘no comment’ interview to police said his the footage of his interview with ship security was ‘quite a saviour for me’.

The criminal prosecution was initially tricky due to the Royal Princess being in international waters at the time of the assault.

The Royal Princess was docked in Sydney over the weekend

It was deemed Victoria would prosecute Saises because the Royal Princess docked in Melbourne after the incident was reported.

However, Saises was prosecuted under ACT law due to the ship’s proximity to Jervis Bay which allowed for the Victorian judge to impose a suspended sentence.

The victim told the court Saises’ molestation left her with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder which has cost her ‘thousands’ to treat.

The victim also said she fears she will never travel so far from home again and her future birthdays will spark traumatic memories of the sexual assault. 

‘(On my next birthday) all I could feel was the trauma I suffered from his assault on me last year,’ the victim said. 

Melbourne County Court Judge Daniel Holding said the victim’ life had been ‘greatly affected’.

He also called Saises’ offending ‘serious and troubling’.

‘(You offended) to gratify your sexual desires without any consideration of the wellbeing of your victim,’ Judge Holding said.

‘Your conduct was nothing short of disgraceful.’

Saises attempted to flee media outside court

Judge Holding also lashed Saises for using his staff swipe card to gain entry to the victim’s room  and ‘taking advantage’ of his position of trust’.

‘People who travel on cruise ships are entitled to know the staff who have access to their cabins are trustworthy,’ he said.

‘(Your offending) has affected the ability of your victim to enjoy her travels.’

The court heard Saises joined Princess Cruise Lines in 2006 and rose to the ‘esteemed’ position of stateroom steward in 2015. 

A Princess Cruise Lines letter tendered to the court stated Saises had ‘maintained company and performance expectations’.

‘(Your career) it’s all just thrown away out of a crazy act of lust (but) the prosecution rightly pointed out you were only able to commit this offence because of your employment,’ Judge Holding said.

‘Clearly your reputation is now in tatters.’

Judge Holding said Saises’ doomed cruise ship career and the fact he spent three days in custody beneath Melbourne Magistrates’ Court were reasons not to jail him further.

Saises, who currently lives in Deer Park in Melbourne’s north-west, was convicted and handed a six-month suspended jail term.

He was also fined $1,000 and must be of good behaviour for three years. 

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