Updated - The Malta Union of Teachers this afternoon welcomed the acquittal of a 62-year-old teacher from Sta Venera who had been accused of corrupting a 10-year old girl.

A court found that there was no evidence to back the case, and it appeared that the girl had invented to story so that her parents would stop sending her to private lessons.

The MUT said it knew of several such cases, and this had led it to issue a directive to its teachers to never be alone with a single pupil.

The girl had claimed that the teacher had touched her intimately in school in the presence of other children, and in a garage where she went for private lessons.

The case was alleged to have happened on and before June 2006. The girl had also claimed she got favourable treatment from the teacher because of his behaviour.

The court noted that while she kept a diary, the girl never mentioned anything on sexual abuse.

MUT SOLIDARITY

The Malta Union of Teachers in a statement expressed its solidarity with the teacher.

It said that that there were many similar cases in other schools,and it had issued a directive telling its members not to stay alone under any circumstance with just one student, because of the risk of such false allegations.

"The MUT is aware of cases, including pending court cases, which involve persons who were suspended from work on unfounded accusations. The Union therefore, while condemning without any reservations whoever is found guilty, appeals to the authorities to first of all treat the accused as innocent until found guilty; and second, for procedures not to take too long as they are doubling the injustice."