A man charged with violent indecent assault during the 2013 general election celebrations was today found not guilty on account of insufficient evidence.

Ibrahim Nour was charged with having allegedly masturbated in public on two separate occasions - on March 10 at the Floriana Bus Terminus and the following day at South Street and in Castille Square.

A woman who witnessed the episode in Castille Square, and who had filed a complaint with the police, testified that at one point, while standing among the crowd, awaiting the arrival of the newly elected prime minister, she felt something rubbing against her back.

The court heard the witness recall how she had realised that the man was masturbating.

The mother of the witness who was next to her did not notice anything and only realised that something was wrong when she twice heard her daughter exclaim "Dirty guy!"

A medical expert who testified in court confirmed that the accused was a diabetic who occasionally suffered chest pains. This condition could possibly cause impotence but, the expert explained, this was not always the case.

The court, presided by magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona, found the accused not guilty of all charges on the basis of a lack of sufficient evidence.

The court noted that, with regards to the first episode, the injured party had not testified and there were no other eyewitnesses. In respect of the second episode, the court noted that the testimony of the woman contained conflicting statements.