A 64-year-old man who in 2003 was seen masturbating in his garage by a girl of 12 because the doors were wide open yesterday received a suspended prison sentence.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli found Carmelo Darmanin guilty of defiling the girl and handed down an 18-month jail term, suspended for three years.

The girl was on her way to catch her school bus when the incident in Żabbar took place.

On seeing the man she sped up and made it to the bus stop, where she met a friend who told her that the same thing had happened to both her and her sister.

Testifying, Mr Darmanin said that he urgently needed to urinate but could not because he had an enlarged prostrate and so pressed his genitals. He said that he was wearing a tracksuit but would have had to put the trousers down to urinate.

The magistrate noted the case had been going on for a number of years and was only assigned to her last May from another magistrate.

Judgment had been pending since July 13, 2011.

She found that the charges of offending public morals and being naked in public were time barred.

She directed that Mr Damanin’s name be added to the sex offenders’ register.