A man charged with running a brothel more than a decade ago walked away a free man today after a court found that he had not been summoned to appear in court for more than five years. 

Stephen Ciancio, 49, had been charged in November 2006 over allegations that he was using a property of his as a brothel. He last appeared in court in March 2008, and in July of that year the case was put off indefinitely when none of the parties turned up for the hearing.

Five years later, in August 2013, the case was assigned to another court presided over by magistrate Ian Farrugia, with a notice of summons issued for October 2013.

At no time during that five-year period was Mr Cianco served with a notice to appear in court. This effectively meant that the five-year prescriptive period had lapsed.

The court today found that since more than five years had lapsed since the man had appeared in court and received the next notice of summons, the charges were time-barred and Mr Cianco was therefore acquitted.