A man was cleared of sexually assaulting a woman in Valletta after a court doubted her version of events, including that it took her six days to file the report.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit was ruling in a case against Christopher Ellul who was accused of holding the woman against her will and sexually assaulting her by committing an act of a sexual nature without her consent.

The alleged incident happened on November 12, 2018, when the two met near the Lower Barrakka Gardens.

The victim claimed that the man, who was a friend of her ex-partner, met her in Valletta and was particularly insistent that she should not go home. He told her that he had just dropped off her former partner at home after they went out together.

She said that the man grabbed her by the handbag and slammed her against the bastion. He then proceeded to grab her below the knee, touching her bottom and tried to kiss her. She said she resisted him by punching him.

It emerged in court that the woman had called the accused and asked him to meet her at night so they could follow her ex-partner together.

Magistrate Stafrace Zammit said the court was not convinced by the victim’s version of the alleged assault. She noted that the woman waited for six days before she filed a police report about the alleged harassment.

Moreover, the court ruled that the prosecution did not bring enough evidence to prove its case, including CCTV footage that may have shed light on what had really taken place.

She added that the alleged victim was not honest when asked if she had ever communicated with the accused.

The court therefore ruled that Ellul offered the most credible version of events and cleared him of all charges brought against him.

Police Inspector Daryl Borg led the prosecution while lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were defence counsel.