A 38-year-old man was acquitted of defiling a 10-year-old girl in August 2007, abusing her and holding her against her will.

The court heard that the girl, who had been staying at her step-mother’s house in Mellieha, wet her bed and hid the sheets.

But when the mother realised what happened an argument broke out between them and the girl left home.

Her parents filed police report and started looking for her.

She was picked up by an aunt near a confectionary in Attard and taken home.

The court heard that the girl later told her family that she had gone to a man’s house, played with his dogs and had a shower. She said the man kissed and hugged her.

Later, the girl repeated the allegations and added that the man gave her Lm5 and touched her private parts.

She said he spoke against her parents for throwing her out and that she told him that they did not throw her out but she ran away.

He then took her near the pastizzi shop from where he had picked her up and it was there that her aunt found her and took her to her grandmother.

The man had also given her his mobile number in case she did not find anywhere to sleep.

In his testimony, the man admitted kissing and hugging the girl but said he did not so this with bad intentions. He denied touching her.

He said the girl told him her step mother wanted to put her into a children’s home and as he loved children he wanted to help her out.

He said he did not go near the girl while she was showering.

The man’s girlfriend of six years also testified that he was a good man with a good heart.

The owner of the pastizzi shop also said he knew the accused and that the girl told him she had fought with her mother, who threw her out of the house.

Police Inspector Elton Taliana said the girl denied that the man had touched her even though the police spoke to her on her own and not in her parents’ presence.

She even told him it was her parents who wanted her to say that she had been abused.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said there were a number of inconsistencies in the girl’s testimony and she had her doubts about her credibility and what had really taken place.

The man was represented by Michael and Lucio Sciriha.