A 26-year-old woman from St Paul’s Bay has been acquitted of offending public morals while lap dancing at Steam in St Julian’s.

The court heard that police officer Dino Farrugia had carried out a surprise inspection with his colleagues at the club on June 6 at 2.38am. He opened a partition covered with a curtain and saw the accused, Rebecca Camilleri, with her breasts esposed.

He said that on seeing him, she quickly put up her bra.

In his judgement, Magistrate Ian Farrugia said that one had to understand the context of the charge. Lap dancing bars at 2.30am were usually attended by an audience of a certain age who knew where they were going and wanted to go there.

Everyone had to take their own decisions and it would be incorrect for someone to say that he was surprised by what he saw in such clubs.

The magistrate said he would not go into whether it was right or wrong to visit such clubs for it was up to each and every person to decide according to their conscience.

He said that, in the circumstances, the fact that the woman’s breasts were exposed could be objectively considered as scandalous without taking the other circumstances into account.

Joseph Giglio was defence counsel.