The Home Affairs Minister said this evening he ordered an internal investigation following a magistrate's call this afternoon for action to be taken against two police officers who manhandled two women, after one of them "disrespectfully" touched an officer's hat. The women were strip-searched after the incident.

The magistrate acquitted Mina Behzadi Tehrani and Andea Yazmin Carvajal Maturana of causing bodily harm to a police officer, violently resisting arrest, disturbing the peace and disobeying orders.

The two Swedish women, one of whom has Chilean ancestry, had gone to Paceville to watch the Spain-Chile World Cup match on June 18.

When Chile won, they waved their flag as they walked up St George’s Road in Paceville, each holding the flag from one of the ends.

The flag happened to brush against the face of Sergeant Major Mario Rotin, who grabbed the flag from the girls. After they asked for the flag back, Ms Tehrani tapped the officer's cap.

The court heard that one of the girls was manhandled and both were then arrested. The girls were taken to police headquarters where they were strip-searched, asked to bend over and body cavity searched. On the following day charged in court.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona noted  a number of inconsistencies in the testimony of Sgt Major Rotin and police sergeant Chantelle Costa.

He also noted that the girls gave a police statement to police inspector Trevor Micallef, whom the court described as exemplary in his treatment of the defendants. 

He said that in this statement they gave a grim account of how they were treated by the police officers who arrested them.

Magistrate Micallef Trigona ordered that the court judgment, together with the testimony of all involved, be passed on to the Home Affairs Minister and the Police Commissioner “for whatever disciplinary action they deem proper to take against the police officers involved”.

The court, however, found no justification on the part of Ms Tehrani in insulting the officer and touching his hat.

In comments to the court after handing down judgment, the magistrate  said the officers involved should not be allowed to wear a police uniform because they had dishonoured the force.

Giannella de Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran appeared for the women.

The minister said that the investigation would establish the facts and disciplinary action would be taken if necessary.