A court has dismissed an appeal by the Attorney General after teen party promoter Joel Caruana was acquitted of  slandering and defaming the police on Facebook.

The 25-year-old - who was twice convicted of engaging in sexual activity with minors - had taken to Facebook to write that he had not been granted a permit to organise a party. 

Superintendent Carmelo Bartolo testified that he had learnt of an impending party at a Paceville establishment, which was being promoted through a poster bearing the logo of "JoelC Events and Marketing". The poster had been flagged by the Children's Commissioner.

The venue was later changed to an establishment in Hal Far. The police phoned Mr Caruana to inform him that he could not organise the party because he had no permits. Mr Caruana allegedly replied that he had no problem with their instructions. 

Mr Caruana then posted on Facebook that the police had failed to issue him with a permit. 

The police found his Facebook commentary on the matter to be insulting and defamatory and had filed charges which included misuse of electronic equipment, committing a crime during the operative period of two suspended sentences and relapsing. 

After the first courtcleared Mr Caruana of all charges, the Attorney General had filed an appeal. 

Madam Jusice Edwina Grima noted that the first court had been incorrect when it cleared the accused on the basis that it could not attribute with certainty the authorship of the offending posts to the accused. 

However, Madam Justice Grima held that the prosecution had failed to sufficiently prove the link between the accused and the person controlling the page, which would establish the veracity of Mr Caruana's claims that anyone could comment on the page. 

The court pointed out that the link had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt and that this was the level of proof required in criminal cases. 

The court therefore upheld the first court's decision to acquit Mr Caruana.