A 38-year-old man was today acquitted of raping a 14-year-old girl in January.

Joseph Spiteri was also acquitted of offending public morals.

In her judgment, Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani said the case hinged on the credibility of the alleged victim, whose testimony was riddled with holes and could not be considered trustworthy for several reasons.

The girl and Mr Spiteri, then 29, met on the bus Mr Spiteri was driving on Christmas Eve in 2003.

The girl was friendly and asked Mr Spiteri for his number before she left. She kept in contact with him and told him she was physically abused by her father and once asked him to drop her at a shelter in Gozo.

While at Mount Carmel, the girl told the police that she and Mr Spiteri used to go for a drink at Marsascala and then have sex in his bus.

Magistrate Padovani said that recounting the events that were supposed to have taken place did not evoke any type of emotion from the victim. Her account was incoherent and inconsistent with the information she had given the police, professionals and her parents.

For while she told her father that she had been having sex against her will, she told the police and professionals that she had been a willing partner.

The girl, who suffers from schizophrenia, had made several serious allegations about a number of people, including that her father had sexually abused her since she was four years old, that she was physically abused by both her parents, that her 75-year-old grandmother hit her with a belt and left her hungry and that her occupational therapist also abused her.

The professionals who had been involved in her care were cautious and confirmed that the girl was a good liar.

In spite of her illness, her psychiatrist certified her fit to attend court, plead and testify.

Mark Vassallo and Chris Cardona appeared for Mr Spiteri.